Jacob Ogles
Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio submitted his resignation from the Justice Department this week, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Now the No. 3 staff official at the Justice Department, Panuccio previously headed the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
Panuccio during his time at Justice helped roll back certain Obama-era guidelines and regulations. He chairs the Regulatory Reform Task Force.
There has been speculation for weeks Panuccio would leave the Justice Department as Attorney General William Barr assembles his own leadership team there.
The National Law Journal suggested earlier this month Pannuccio would leave his position so Barr could install former White House attorney Claire Murray to the job.
Panuccio has twice held the No. 3 spot in Justice since President Donald Trump was elected. But he’s always served in an acting capacity and hasn’t received Senate confirmation.
He previously served in the capacity before the appointment and confirmation of Rachel Brand. When Brand resigned last year to take an executive position with Walmart, Panuccio moved into the post again.
Outside of regulatory reform, Panuccio oversees: Antitrust Division, Civil Division, Civil Rights Division, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Tax Division, Executive Office for U.S. Trustees, Office of Justice Programs, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Office on Violence Against Women, Community Relations Service, Office of Information Policy, Foreign Claims Settlement Commission and the Service members and Veterans Initiative.
From 2011 to 2013, Panuccio served as general counsel for Gov. Rick Scott. In that role, he advised Scott on judicial appointments and executive orders while serving as Florida’s chief ethics officer.
Panuccio previously served as a partner at Foley & Lardner in Miami. He also has served as an adjunct professor at Florida State University College of Law, where he taught advanced constitutional law and separation of powers.
The Harvard Law graduate as served as a law clerk for federal Judge Michael W. McConnell.
