At the hours of darkness on New 12 months’s Day — the primary second of 2026 — existence will alternate for lawyer Erika Evans for the second one time in 9 months.
Evans will start her time period because the elected town lawyer of Seattle on Jan. 1. Her marketing campaign used to be a juggernaut — she gained with just about two-thirds of the vote on Nov. 4. However her marketing campaign used to be additionally sudden.
Evans hand over her place as an lawyer within the U.S. Division of Justice in March, even supposing she had as soon as thought to be that place a “dream process.”
Amid a broader purge throughout the company, she opted to run for public place of work, quite than move into personal felony apply or academia.
Evans rolled to a number one victory in August and secured a bigger margin of victory on this month’s basic election. As Seattle town lawyer, Evans will constitute the town in litigation and civil circumstances. She may even maintain some prosecutions of lower-level legal offenses.
“What we want at a time like that is warring parties and other people with grit and enjoy to battle what we’re seeing,” Evans instructed CBS Information this weekend.
@electerikaevans/Instagram 
Evans mentioned the Trump management’s dismantling of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights department used to be amongst her motivations for leaving her put up on the federal prosecutor’s place of work within the western district of Washington this yr, the place she used to be dealing with civil rights issues, hate crime circumstances and violent crime circumstances.
She mentioned that quickly after Trump took place of work, the Justice Division management despatched emails “requiring that we record any colleagues doing range paintings within the place of work. We had 10 to fourteen days to record them or we’d get in bother ourselves. That used to be beautiful disgusting.” She mentioned she did not really feel secure on the company, partly as a result of she used to be the co-chair of a range effort.
Quickly after her departure in March, Evans introduced her marketing campaign for the Seattle town lawyer’s place and parlayed her frustration with the Trump management into an element of her marketing campaign message. In a marketing campaign video, Evans pledged to problem Mr. Trump: “Together with your vote, I will tackle Trump and insist the group protection we deserve.”
Talking to CBS Information after her victory, Evans mentioned a chain of plans. She mentioned she’s going to make it a primary precedence to expedite the processing of DUI and home violence circumstances “to ensure we are being excellent stewards of public protection.”
Evans mentioned she may even track for – and take felony motion in opposition to – any “federal overreach” into the town by way of the Trump management, which has already caused felony battles with different U.S. towns this yr, from Washington, D.C. to Portland to Los Angeles.
Evans is considered one of greater than 5,000 Justice Division workers to hand over, retire or face termination since January, in step with a evaluation by way of the Justice Connection workforce, which is a strengthen group for ousted and previous Justice Division staff.
Stacey Younger, the Justice Connection founder and govt director, instructed CBS Information that “federal prosecutors are deeply dedicated to public provider, and extra are pursuing that venture via elected place of work when staying on the Justice Division turns into infeasible. We want other people around the political spectrum combating to uphold the rule of thumb of legislation, together with on the native point.”
Evans is the granddaughter of civil rights determine Lee Evans, who used to be a few of the 1968 Olympics monitor stars who raised a fist within the air all through a medal presentation.
