CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Russ Ferguson was sworn in yesterday as the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Appointed by Attorney General Pamela Bondi on March 3, 2025, Ferguson took the oath of office, administered by United States District Judge Frank D. Whitney.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina,” Ferguson said. “I am fortunate to be coming into a well-regarded office with some of the best lawyers in North Carolina. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work for the people of my home state. I thank Attorney General Bondi for trusting me to lead this office, and I pledge to serve with utmost integrity and dedication.”
As U.S. Attorney, Ferguson will oversee all federal civil and criminal litigation in the Western District, which covers 32 counties, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. He will lead an office of nearly 100 federal prosecutors and support personnel.
Ferguson brings 16 years of legal experience to his new role. He began his career as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where he tried 28 cases to verdict. Before his appointment, he was a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson, leading the firm’s complex litigation group and handling civil and criminal cases, including international arbitrations.
He has held leadership roles with the Mecklenburg County Bar, which recognized him for pro bono service. He has been named to Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and North Carolina Business Elite and received the Charlotte Business Journal’s Forty Under Forty Award. He has also participated as a speaker and panelist at legal events and has published articles on civil and criminal law.
Ferguson serves on the board of NourishUp, a Charlotte-based food pantry and meals-on-wheels organization.
He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his law degree and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law Center. Following law school, he clerked for Judge Frank D. Whitney in the Western District of North Carolina.
