Wendy J. Olson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Attorney for theDistrict of Idaho | |
| In office June 25, 2010 – February 25, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Thomas E. Moss |
| Succeeded by | Bart Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wendy Jo Olson[1] July 1964 (age 61) Pocatello, Idaho, U.S. |
| Spouse | Craig Kreiser |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Drake University (BA) Stanford University (JD) |
Wendy J. Olson (born 1964) is an American lawyer who served as aUnited States attorney for theDistrict of Idaho from 2010 to 2017. She was appointed in 2010 by PresidentBarack Obama, replacing Thomas E. Moss. As one of 93 United States attorneys, she represented the government in all civil and criminal cases within her district.
Olson was born inPocatello, Idaho.[2] Olson attendedDrake University inDes Moines, Iowa, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism in 1986.[3] She served as anintern in the sports department of theLos Angeles Times before leaving to attendStanford Law School inPalo Alto, California. She graduated from Stanford with aJuris Doctor in 1990. Sheinterned withWilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, theStudent Press Law Center, and theMedia Access Project.[4]
Olson served as alaw clerk for JudgeBarbara Jacobs Rothstein on theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Washington for two years immediately after finishing law school. She served as a trial attorney and later Deputy Director of the National Church Arson Task Force in theUnited States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division from 1992 to 1997. From 1994 to 1997, she also worked part-time as anadjunct professor atGeorge Washington University Law School.
In 1997, Olson joined the Office of the United States Attorney for theDistrict of Idaho, rising to the rank of Senior Litigation Counsel at the time of her appointment in 2010.[5]
After Olson resigned in 2017, she joined theBoise office ofStoel Rives, a law firm that operates in the Pacific Northwest.[6][7] In 2021, Olson was included on a shortlist of possible nominees to succeed JudgeB. Lynn Winmill.[8][9]
In 2024, Olson made national headlines when she represented Eric Posey, who accused a far-right blogger of defamation after she falsely claimed he had exposed himself to a crowd, including children, during aPride event in June 2022.[10][11] AKootenai County jury awarded Posey more than $1.1 million.[12]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas E. Moss | United States Attorney for theDistrict of Idaho 2010–2017 | Succeeded by |