John F. Wood
U.S. Attorney John F. Wood is the chief federal law enforcement official for the Western District of Missouri. Mr. Wood leads a staff of 126 employees, including 67 attorneys and 59 non-attorney support personnel. He oversees the prosecution of a broad range of federal crimes, including terrorism and national security matters, corporate fraud, public corruption, violent crime, cybercrime, child exploitation, and narcotics. His office also represents the United States in civil cases. While serving as U.S. Attorney, Mr. Wood has personally represented the United States in cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals and the District Court.
Mr. Wood was sworn in as United States Attorney on April 11, 2007, following unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate. He previously served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the third largest department of the federal government with approximately 180,000 employees and an annual budget of over $40 billion. As Chief of Staff, Mr. Wood assisted and advised the Secretary of Homeland Security on a broad range of matters, including terrorism, intelligence, preparedness, border security, immigration, law enforcement, and management issues.
Mr. Wood previously held several high-level positions at the Department of Justice, including Deputy Associate Attorney General and Counselor to Attorney General John D. Ashcroft. In those positions, he advised the Attorney General, worked on the Department’s most important civil litigation, and helped oversee the Department’s Civil, Civil Rights, Antitrust, Tax, and Environment & Natural Resources Divisions.
Mr. Wood also worked at the White House as Deputy General Counsel for the Office of Management and Budget, where he participated in the development of the federal government’s major legislative, regulatory, management, and appropriations initiatives.
Mr. Wood practiced commercial and appellate litigation from 1998 to 2001 at a leading national law firm. He also clerked at the Supreme Court of the United States for Justice Clarence Thomas and on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for Judge J. Michael Luttig. Prior to law school, Mr. Wood worked on the staff of U.S. Senator John C. Danforth of Missouri.
Mr. Wood graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he served as Articles Chair of the Harvard Law Review. He received his B.A. with Honors from the University of Virginia.
Mr. Wood, 38, is a native Missourian. His wife, Julie, is a native of the Kansas City area and currently serves as the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the nation’s second largest federal investigative agency. They have one son.