But they said he had set those concerns aside after Ms. Mauskopf agreed to retain many veteran prosecutors in the Brooklyn office.

The White House is backing James B. Comey, a veteran federal prosecutor who is widely known for his aggressive prosecution of gun violence cases in Richmond, Va.

The White House, in turn, indicated that it favored Mr. Comey, a native New Yorker and veteran federal prosecutor who has won wide acclaim for his work in Richmond.

A veteran federal prosecutor in Connecticut has been named interim United States attorney, replacing Stephen C. Robinson, who stepped down this week, the United States attorney general, John Ashcroft, announced.

The president instead named James B. Comey, a veteran federal prosecutor, to the high-visibility post in Manhattan.

A19 Aiding Abuse Prosecutions Changes in California state law have made it easier to prosecute child molesting cases, legal scholars and veteran prosecutors said.

Mr. Nifong was "very disappointed" at giving up the case, his lawyer, David B. Freedman, said Saturday, but pleased with Mr. Cooper's assignment of two veteran prosecutors.

A1 Mayor Dinkins's style faulted after Rikers Island job action B2 A murder and rape trial in the Bronx has shocked even veteran prosecutors yet has drawn scant public attention.

Mr. Schumer rescinded his opposition in April, admitting to being swayed by large support for Ms. Mauskopf from leading prosecutors and lawyers, as well as by her agreement to retain many veteran prosecutors in the office.

A veteran federal prosecutor at the center of controversy over the collapse of a high-profile terrorism case in Detroit resigned from the Justice Department on Monday and said he planned to become a defense lawyer.