First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons has been named acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Lyons becomes the first Black woman to serve as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District as such, effective Saturday, according to a news release.
Her temporary appointment follows the resignation of Biden-appointee Jill Steinberg who stepped down in lieu of the change in administration.
A resident of Evans, Lyons has served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney since April 2023 during a 20-year career with the U.S. Department of Justice.
She previously served as law clerk for the Honorable Henry F. Floyd, as attorney advisor for the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys, as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the South Carolina District and as Deputy Chief in the Criminal Division for the Southern District of Georgia.
During Lyons’ career with the Department of Justice she has handled range of cases related to violent crimes, human trafficking, child pornography and civil rights violations.
In the South Carolina District she served as Project Sentry Coordinator, related to the prevention of gun violence; and in the Southern District of Georgia, she served as the Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, responsible for the prosecution of child exploitation cases, and as the Civil Rights Coordinator, responsible for the prosecution of color of law and civil rights violations.
As Acting U.S. Attorney, Lyons serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Georgia, which covers 43 of Georgia’s 159 counties with a population of more than 1.6 million people and includes the cities of Savannah, Augusta, and Brunswick.
Lyons leads a team of more than 70 attorneys and staff in prosecuting federal crimes, defending the United States in civil cases and collecting debts owed to the United States.