Philly’s top federal prosecutor is one step closer to having his nomination approved by the U.S. Senate

The Philadelphia region’s top federal prosecutor is one step closer to having his title made official.

The U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee agreed Thursday to send the nomination for interim U.S. Attorney David Metcalf to the full chamber for a future confirmation vote.

Unlike other controversial developments involving the justice system and the Trump administration, the voice vote on Metcalf’s nomination passed with little fanfare and no discussion.

Several Democrats, including Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, voted against advancing Metcalf’s candidacy. But they did not say why, and were outnumbered by Republicans, who have majority control of the committee and unanimously voted in Metcalf’s support.

If the full Senate goes on to approve his candidacy, Metcalf — who was nominated by President Donald Trump earlier this year — would move past his interim status and become the region’s permanent U.S. attorney, eligible to serve in the role for the four years.

Metcalf would oversee about 140 lawyers responsible for prosecuting a variety of federal cases across a nine-county region from Philadelphia to Allentown and west past Reading. Prosecutors oversee cases involving violent crime, drug trafficking, political corruption, cybercrime, tax fraud, and terrorism, as well as civil cases involving allegations of fraud, discrimination, and civil rights violations.

During his three months in charge so far, Metcalf has retained a relatively low profile — eschewing media interviews or the combative public stances of other Trump-nominated federal prosecutors in nearby jurisdictions.

In New Jersey, for example, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba — a former Trump defense attorney and campaign surrogate — has drawn criticism for charging Democratic House Rep. LaMonica McIver with assault after McIver got into confrontation this spring with immigration officers outside a North Jersey detention center.

Habba also said on Fox News in April that she was opening an investigation into the state’s Democratic governor and attorney general over their immigration policies.

In Washington, Trump’s initial pick for U.S. Attorney, Ed Martin, proved so controversial — due to a wave of staffing changes he initiated, as well as his support for Jan. 6 rioters, among other issues — that the president ultimately pulled Martin’s nomination. In Martin’s place, Trump nominated former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro.

Metcalf has so far avoided the spotlight, and his background does not include clear ties to Trump. He previously worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, from 2020 to 2022, and also served in various capacities in the Justice Department in Washington.

In one of his stints there, in 2020, he served as chief of staff to a prosecutor who was said to have pushed for a more lenient sentence for political operative and longtime Trump ally Roger Stone. A Justice Department investigation later said prosecutors changed course on Stone’s sentencing recommendation due to “ineffectual” leadership by Metcalf’s boss, not political interference.