U.S. Senate confirms Connecticut's first Black female U.S. attorney

WSHU | By Davis Dunavin

Published April 29, 2022 at 3:56 PM EDT

Connecticut’s first Black female U.S. Attorney has received Senate confirmation.

Vanessa Avery is a graduate of Yale and Georgetown University. She became an assistant U.S. Attorney for Connecticut in 2014, and an associate attorney general for the state in 2019. President Biden nominated her to the role in January, and she was confirmed by the Senate this week with a voice vote.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut — a former state attorney general — said Avery is fair and tough, and will follow the facts and law to punish and deter wrongdoers.

State News

Davis Dunavin

Davis Dunavin loves telling stories, whether on the radio or around the campfire. He fell in love with sound-rich radio storytelling while working as an assistant reporter at KBIA public radio in Columbia, Missouri. Before coming back to radio, he worked in digital journalism as the editor of Newtown Patch. As a freelance reporter, his work for WSHU aired nationally on NPR. Davis is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism; he started in Missouri and ended up in Connecticut, which, he'd like to point out, is the same geographic trajectory taken by Mark Twain.

See stories by Davis Dunavin

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Donate