urge him to reconsider his decision. We are troubled that Department officials considered Charlton's actions in the death penalty case, including requesting a meeting with the Attorney General, to be inappropriate. We do not believe his actions were insubordinate or that they justified his removal. Since leaving the U.S. Attorney's Office, Charlton was awarded Arizona's State Bar Criminal Justice Award, the University of Arizona Alumni Association Public Service Award and the Phoenix Business Journal's Most Admired Leaders Award. Charlton's office had been honored with the Federal Service Award and hailed by the Justice Department as a "model program" for its protection of crime victims. Charlton ranked in the top third among the nation's 93 US attorneys in contributing to an overall 106,188 federal prosecutions filed in 2006; scored in the top third in number of convictions; oversaw a district in the top five highest in number of immigration-related prosecutions; ranked among the top 20 offices for drug prosecutions; and, unlike in the other seven cases, ranked high in weapons cases, prosecuting 199 of the United States' 9,313 such cases in 2006, the tenth-highest in the country and up fourfold from 2002. See also Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy Alberto Gonzales Kyle Sampson Rick Renzi References External links Steptoe & Johnson LLP: Paul Charlton - Partner Paul Charlton Profile on LawTally Living people Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy United States Attorneys for the District of Arizona Year of birth missing (living people)