eric grant DOJ
Eric Grant serves as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California, with his main office located in Sacramento. Appointed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and subsequently sworn in by the district court, Grant leads federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation across 34 counties. [1, 2, 3]
Background & Professional Experience
- Judicial Clerkships: Grant clerked for Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Associate Justice Clarence Thomas at the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as Judge Edith H. Jones on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. [1]
- DOJ Experience: A veteran of the Department of Justice, he previously served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Environment and Natural Resources Division during the first Trump administration and in the Office of Legal Counsel. [1]
- Private Practice: Before taking his current post, he spent years in private practice—most recently as a partner at Hicks Thomas LLP—and has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. [1, 2]
Office Details & Jurisdiction
The Eastern District of California encompasses the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada, requiring oversight of staff attorneys spread across multiple locations. [1]
- Sacramento Office: 501 I St., Suite 10-100, Sacramento, CA 95814
- Phone: (916) 554-2700
- Additional Branch Offices: Fresno, Bakersfield, and Redding [1, 2, 3]
Affiliations
- Federalist Society: He has long been an active member of the Federalist Society for law and public policy studies. [1, 2]
FEDSOC OFF BS
Mr. Grant was appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California beginning on August 11, 2025. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546(d), he was further appointed by the district court effective December 9, 2025.
Mr. Grant is a veteran of the Department of Justice, having served twice in Washington, D.C.: from 1991 to 1993 as an Attorney-Adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel, and from 2017 to 2021 as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). During his tenure at ENRD, he supervised more than a hundred Department litigators advancing the interests of the United States and its agencies in both enforcement and defensive matters, both civil and criminal.
In addition to his service in the Department, Mr. Grant has decades of experience in private practice in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento. That experience includes arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court, and numerous other federal and state courts.
Mr. Grant served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger (retired) and Associate Justice Clarence Thomas during the Supreme Court’s October 1994 Term. Earlier he served as a law clerk to Judge Edith H. Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Houston, Texas.
Mr. Grant grew up in Modesto, California and raised his family in Sacramento County. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics (1986) and a law degree (1990).
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- Priorities: In his role leading the district, his prosecutions and policy focuses have aligned heavily with Trump-era priorities, including a strong emphasis on immigration, border enforcement, and cartel/drug trafficking cases. [1]
Connection to "Koch"
- Legal Representation: During his time in private practice, Grant has frequently represented corporate interests and property rights advocates. This includes affiliations with organizations and foundations tied to conservative and libertarian networks (such as those associated with the Koch brothers), often defending cases challenging overreaching federal land use and environmental regulations. [1]
If you want, I can also provide:
- More details on his notable cases (such as the Atlantic Coast Pipeline defense)
sac bee?
Since taking the helm of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento, Grant has filed 93 cases, including last month’s corruption charges involving two prominent lobbyists and the former chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom. In an interview with The Bee published Oct. 3, Grant said he planned to bring a heightened focus to immigration cases and other issues of priority to the Trump administration.
...
In Los Angeles’ Central District, a federal judge has been weighing since October whether Bill Essayli was improperly kept in office after the Trump administration shifted the former assemblymember’s title to “acting” to bypass confirmation, prompting defense motions to dismiss indictments and disqualify him from supervising cases. Courts in New Jersey and Nevada have similarly ruled that top federal prosecutors — including Trump ally Alina Habba, who stepped down Monday — were not lawfully serving, orders that have disrupted proceedings and forced the Justice Department to reshuffle oversight of active cases.
Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article313563084.html#storylink=cpy
Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article313563084.html#storylink=cpy
LI 6 26
OODLY NO EDUC
- University of California, Berkeley: Earned his bachelor's degree in economics in 1986.
- UC Berkeley School of Law: Earned his law degree in 1990. [1]
[United States Attorney, Eastern District of California United States Attorneys' Offices · Full-time
Aug 2025 - Present · 11 mos
Sacramento, California, United States · On-site](https://www.linkedin.com/company/3565/)
[Partner Hicks Thomas LLP · Full-time
Jan 2021 - Aug 2025 · 4 yrs 8 mos
Sacramento, California, United States](https://www.linkedin.com/company/1209427/)
[Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division U.S. Department of Justice · Full-time
Apr 2017 - Jan 2021 · 3 yrs 10 mos
Washington, District of Columbia, United States](https://www.linkedin.com/company/3564/)
I supervised the Division's Appellate Section, Indian Resources Section, and (in 2020-2021) Environmental Defense Section.
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University of Michigan Law School Doctor of Law (JD)
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This week, we present another special episode in a series featuring highlights from PRI’s recent California Ideas in Action conference. Free Cities Center director Steven Greenhut sits down with new U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Sacramento, Eric Grant. They discuss ongoing legal battles between the federal government and the state of California, crime, the Trump administration’s legal priorities, and other issues.
OCT
...
In July 2017, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals requested that attorneys for the youth plaintiffs submit a response to the government'spetition for "writ of mandamus**" and invited the District Court to respond as well. The District Court responded via letter and the youth filed their answer. Further, eight amicus briefswere filed with the Ninth Circuit in support of the case.
Pursuant to its order, a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit, made up of Chief Justice Sidney Thomas, and Circuit Justices Alex Kozinski and Marsha Barzon heard oral arguments on December 11, 2017. Eric Grant, representing the Trump administration and the U.S. government, argued that the case be dismissed. Justice Kozinski subsequently resigned and was replaced on the panel by Circuit Justice Michelle Friedland.
Due to the Trump administration’s drastic tactics [emergency stay scotus?] before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to silence the voices of youth and keep science out of the courtroom, the trial did not begin on February 5th, as originally scheduled.
On March 7, 2018 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s “drastic and extraordinary” petition for writ of mandamus. During a public case management conference on April 12, 2018, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin set October 29, 2018 as the start date for the trial!
On May 25, 2018, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin issued anorder denying the Trump Administration’s motion for protective order and a stay of all discovery.
On July 18, 2018, U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken heard the oral argument in the case. Judge Aiken considered the Trump administration’s latest procedural tactics to avoid trial: a motion for judgment on the pleadings (“MJP”) and a motion for summary judgment (“MSJ”). Supporters of the youth plaintiffs packed the Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse in Eugene and three overflow rooms!...
Eric Grant
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Apr
29
2025
Video
Click to play: An Environmental Law Revolution: Will DOGE and the Second Trump Administration Achieve Lasting Positive Change?FedSoc Forums
An Environmental Law Revolution: Will DOGE and the Second Trump Administration Achieve Lasting Positive Change?
Eric Grant, Matthew Z. Leopold, Andrew Mergen, Sambhav Sankar, Jeffrey H. Wood
Theories of Presidential Power Series
Since Inauguration Day, President Trump and his Cabinet have taken a range of important executive...
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Topics: Environmental & Energy Law
Sponsors: Energy & Environment Practice Group
Apr
29
2025
Podcast
An Environmental Law Revolution: Will DOGE and the Second Trump Administration Achieve Lasting Positive Change?FedSoc Forums
An Environmental Law Revolution: Will DOGE and the Second Trump Administration Achieve Lasting Positive Change?
Eric Grant, Matthew Z. Leopold, Andrew Mergen, Sambhav Sankar, Jeffrey H. Wood
Theories of Presidential Power Series
Since Inauguration Day, President Trump and his Cabinet have taken a range of important executive...
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-1:00:31
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Topics: Environmental & Energy Law
Sponsors: Energy & Environment Practice Group
Dec
11
2024
Video
Click to play: Courthouse Steps Oral Argument: Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, ColoradoFedSoc Forums
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument: Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado
Eric Grant, Andrew Mergen, Paul E. Salamanca
This case concerns the question of whether the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires an...
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Dec
11
2024
Podcast
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument: Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, ColoradoFedSoc Forums
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument: Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado
Eric Grant, Andrew Mergen, Paul E. Salamanca
This case concerns the question of whether the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires an...
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Sep
27
2024
Topics
Federal Courts • State Governments • Environmental Law & Property Rights
Blog Post
Florida and EPA Defend Clean Water Act Permit Program in the D.C. Circuit
Eric Grant
In its report last month on The Biggest Enviro Cases To Watch In 2024, Law360 identified...
Apr
16
2024
Video
Click to play: Breakout Panel 5 - Environmental Law and the Constitution: Exceeding the LimitsFedSoc Events
Breakout Panel 5 - Environmental Law and the Constitution: Exceeding the Limits
Eric Grant, Matthew Kuhn, Andrew Mergen, Corinne Virginia Snow
ERBXII
In his Sackett v. EPA concurrence, Justice Thomas suggested that "many environmental regulatory schemes” appear...
Sponsors: Energy & Environment Practice Group
Mar
28
2023
Video
Click to play: Panel 1: The Not So Wild West? How Regulations Have Affected Land Use in the Western StatesFedSoc Events
Panel 1: The Not So Wild West? How Regulations Have Affected Land Use in the Western States
Chris Carr, Eric Grant, Jennifer L. Hernandez, Karrin Taylor Robson, Lawrence VanDyke
2023 Western Chapters Conference
The rising cost of housing and the regulatory state are some of the major issues...
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Sponsors: Sacramento Lawyer Chapter · San Diego Lawyer Chapter · Orange County Lawyer Chapter · San Francisco Lawyer Chapter · Los Angeles Lawyer Chapter · Silicon Valley Lawyer Chapter · Colorado Lawyer Chapter · Las Vegas Lawyer Chapter · Puget Sound Lawyer Chapter · Fresno Lawyer Chapter · Salt Lake City Lawyer Chapter · Phoenix Lawyer Chapter · Northern Arizona Lawyer Chapter · Portland Lawyer Chapter · Wyoming Lawyer Chapter · Alaska Lawyer Chapter · Idaho Lawyer Chapter · Hawaii Lawyer Chapter · Southern Arizona Lawyer Chapter · Montana Lawyer Chapter · Reno Lawyer Chapter · New Mexico Lawyer Chapter
Mar
28
2023
Podcast
Panel 1: The Not So Wild West? How Regulations Have Affected Land Use in the Western States
Chris Carr, Eric Grant, Jennifer L. Hernandez, Karrin Taylor Robson, Lawrence VanDyke
2023 Western Chapters Conference
The rising cost of housing and the regulatory state are some of the major issues...
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May
26
2022
Podcast
From Russia Without Love: U.S. Energy Policy, Environmental Goals, Foreign Wars, and the Administrative StateFedSoc Forums
From Russia Without Love: U.S. Energy Policy, Environmental Goals, Foreign Wars, and the Administrative State
Tristan Abbey, Eric Grant, Ryan D. Nelson, Julia Olson
The United States is – perhaps now more than ever before – a global energy...
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Topics: Environmental Law & Property Rights
Sponsors: Energy & Environment Practice Group
Jun
24
2021
Podcast
McGirt: One Year LaterFedSoc Forums
McGirt: One Year Later
Eric Grant, Ryan Leonard, Jennifer H. Weddle
Environmental Law & Property Rights Practice Group Teleforum
As the 2020 term concluded, the US Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that...
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GGL 6 26
[### Eastern District of California
Department of Justice (.gov)
https://www.justice.gov › usao-edca](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca)
Meet the U.S. Attorney. Eric Grant. Leadership Eric Grant U.S. Attorney. Contact Sacramento: (916) 554 ...Read more
[### Eastern District of California | U.S. Attorney Eric Grant
Department of Justice (.gov)
https://www.justice.gov › usao-edca › staff-profile › us-...](https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/staff-profile/us-attorney-eric-grant)
Jan 22, 2026 — Mr. Grant was appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California ...Read more
[### United States District Court for the Eastern District of ...
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › United_States_District...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Eastern_District_of_California)
United States District Court for the Eastern District of California ; Chief Judge · Troy Nunley ; U.S. Attorney, Eric Grant ; U.S. Marshal · Lasha Boyden (acting).Read more