As of January 18, 2025, and by virtue of the Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons is officially Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. She is the first Black woman to serve in the role as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Georgia.
A resident of Evans, Georgia, Acting USA Lyons has served as a law clerk for the Honorable Henry F. Floyd; as a Public Defender in Richland County, South Carolina; as an attorney advisor for the Executive Office for United States Attorneys; as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division, District of South Carolina; and as Deputy Chief in the Criminal Division, Southern District of Georgia. She has served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney since April 2023.
During Acting USA Lyons’ 20-year career with the Department of Justice she has handled a wide range of federal cases related to violent crimes, human trafficking, child pornography and civil rights violations. In the District of South Carolina she served as the Project Sentry Coordinator, related to the prevention of gun violence; and in the Southern District of Georgia, she served as the Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, responsible for the prosecution of child exploitation cases, and as the Civil Rights Coordinator, responsible for the prosecution of color of law and civil right violations.
As Acting U.S. Attorney, Lyons serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Georgia, which covers 43 of Georgia’s 159 counties with a population of more than 1.6 million people and includes the cities of Savannah, Augusta, and Brunswick. She leads a team of more than 70 attorneys and staff in prosecuting federal crimes in the District. defending the United States in civil cases, and collecting debts owed to the United States.