Billy Williams Addresses Federal Shortcoming in Prosecution Tools
BBK Partner Speaks With KGW-TV About Domestic Terrorism Laws and Enforcement Limitations
In a recent interview with Portland's KGW-TV, BBK Partner Billy Williams, former U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon, discussed issues surrounding the lack of a federal domestic terrorism law. A recent report found that Oregon in particular ranked high in domestic terrorism, despite ranking 27th in population.
Billy, who is widely known for his ability to defuse and resolve controversial situations, such as the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation in 2016 and threat of a Klamath River dam takeover in 2020, noted that a federal domestic terrorism law would provide prosecutors with a valuable “tool in the toolbox” to prosecute when appropriate.
“The rule of law matters and people need to be held accountable,” he stated. “There’s much discussion around what a federal domestic terrorism law would look like. That’s up to Congress.”
Billy joined BBK’s Bend office in Jan. 2022, bringing with him a prominent track record of building consensus amidst division. In previous roles with the Department of Justice, Billy engaged with various interests groups, government agencies, tribal leadership and stakeholders at cross purposes on difficult issues. Now in private practice, Billy advises on a range of environmental and litigation issues, leveraging his experience in land management, civil disputes, crisis management, tribal matters, corporate and government investigations, cannabis regulation and more.
