SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The U.S. Senate has confirmed a new U.S. attorney for central Illinois five months after President Donald Trump nominated him.

John Milhiser has been the acting U.S. attorney for the 46-county region since that nomination. The Senate’s unanimous voice vote on Wednesday solidifies his position as central Illinois’ top federal prosecutor.

Milhiser’s office is overseeing several high-profile cases. That includes the pending trial of Brendt Christensen, who is awaiting trial on charges he kidnapped and killed a scholar from China, Yingying Zhang.

Milhiser is a former Sangamon County state’s attorney. The previous U.S. attorney for the Springfield-based district, James Lewis, retired in December 2016. An interim U.S. attorney, John Childress, left for another position outside Illinois earlier in 2018.