CHEYENNE -- U.S. District Judge William Downes appointed Kelly H. Rankin on Saturday to the post of U.S. attorney for Wyoming.

That allows Rankin to serve until the U.S. Senate confirms his nomination to the position, said John Powell, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Cheyenne.

A federal law allows for the appointment by a federal judge when the term of an interim U.S. attorney runs out, said Elly Pickett, press secretary for U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.

In June 2007 Enzi, the state's senior U.S. senator, forwarded to the White House the names of Rankin and two other nominees for the federal prosecutor for Wyoming position. It wasn't until April 18 that President Bush nominated Rankin for the job.

After former U.S. Attorney Matt Mead resigned last year, First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Green was named acting U.S. attorney under the Vacancy Reform Act from June 8, 2007, through Jan. 3, 2008, Powell said. When that period expired, Green was appointed by the attorney general as U.S. attorney for a maximum of 120 days, or until May 2.

The following day Judge Downes appointed Rankin as U.S. attorney.

The federal law is used primarily when a president is finishing out his elected term of office, Powell said.

Only seven attorneys applied for the position, which is a political appointment. The unusually small number was attributed to the possibility that the appointment could be short lived with the change in the administration next January.

Rankin will work out of the main U.S. attorney's office in Cheyenne. He has been working out of the Casper office since he became an assistant U.S. attorney in 2003.

When the president nominated Rankin last month, Enzi said he hoped the Senate Judiciary Committee would move quickly to approved the nomination. Once out of committee, Rankin's nomination will move to the full Senate for confirmation.

Rankin, 40, is a career prosecutor at the county and federal levels. A native of Sheridan, he received bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Wyoming.

Contact Joan Barron at joan.barron@trib.com or by phone at 307-632-1244.