Melissa Holyoak, who has served as commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission since 2024, was appointed Interim United States Attorney for the District of Utah by the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday.
She was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Holyoak was selected to her prior position at the FTC in 2024 after being nominated by President Joe Biden in 2023. In her previous role, Holyoak specialized in enforcing antitrust and consumer protection laws.
“Our loss is Utah’s great gain,” FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a press release by the FTC. “Melissa is a woman of keen judgement, deep integrity and unfailing commitment to the rule of law.”
It isn’t the first time Utah will benefit from Holyoak’s expertise in the field of law. Before her role at the FTC, she served as solicitor general with the Utah Attorney General’s Office, where she worked in civil appeals, criminal appeals, constitutional defense and antitrust.
A friend of hers, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, previously told the Deseret News that Holyoak is a “conservative who values the state’s role in a system that shares sovereignty with the federal government, so like me, she has defended Utah’s right and obligation to make its own decisions.”
Holyoak, who received her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Utah, said in an announcement of her return to Utah that it was an “honor” to be coming back.
“I am grateful to Attorney General Bondi for trusting me to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah,” she said. “It is an honor to lead this outstanding office in my home state where I look forward to working closely with our federal, tribal, state, and local partners to ensure the safety of our citizens and uphold the rule of law.”