U.S. attorney for southern Illinois court removed by Trump, chief judge confirms
Rachelle Aud Crowe, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, was terminated by the President Donald J. Trump administration, Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel confirmed.
The move was made Monday under the Vacancies Reform Act, which allows removal of officials that are appointed by the White House.
Ali Summers, first assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, is the Acting U.S. Attorney for now.
Aud Crowe, a Democrat, was appointed U.S. Attorney in 2022 by then President Joe Biden. She resigned her elected seat in the Illinois Senate’s 56th District to take the job.
“It has been my honor to serve the Southern District of Illinois as the United States Attorney. Announcing my departure accompanies many emotions, but my heart is full of gratitude,” Aud Crowe said in a statement Thursday morning. “Working for the Department of Justice and leading an office of talented attorneys, dedicated legal staff and supportive administrative employees has been a lifelong dream. It was my privilege to guide the Department on matters of policy, procedure and management as a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and the Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee.
“I have been fortunate to partner with the local, state and federal law enforcement officers to seek justice for victims and improve public safety. In addition to prosecuting hundreds of criminal cases, the office represented the government effectively in civil lawsuits and recovered millions of taxpayer dollars.”
Aud Crowe also thanked district judges for “their judicial oversight” and their influence on her legal career.
Summers, 50, is the chief federal law enforcement official in the Southern District of Illinois.. She became an Assistant U. S. Attorney in 2012.
Summers worked as criminal chief of the Violent Crimes Unit. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Summers was a law clerk for David R. Herndon, a former U.S. District and chief Judge of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Illinois.
Christopher Johnson, the FBI special agent in charge of the FBI Springfield office, and Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly also released statements on Aud Crowe’s departure from the southern Illinois federal court.
Johnson called Aud Crowe “a champion” of FBI investigations. Kelly said she was “instrumental in holding people accountable and bringing them to justice.”
This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 5:31 PM.
