President Donald J. Trump appointed Dana J. Boente, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, to be acting attorney general on Monday night after he dismissed Sally Q. Yates from that role over her refusal to defend his executive order on immigration in court. The abrupt dismissal of Ms. Yates and the appointment of Mr. Boente were the latest twists in a fast-moving crisis over the executive order.

Mr. Boente (pronounced BEN-tay) is expected to serve as acting attorney general until Mr. Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Senator Jeff Sessions, an Alabama Republican, is confirmed. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on his nomination as soon as Tuesday, which means Mr. Boente may be in his new role for a only matter of days.

So, who is Mr. Boente?

Career Civil Servant

Mr. Boente, 62, has worked for the Justice Department since 1984 under both Republican and Democratic administrations. He served in the department’s tax division and held several positions in the Eastern District of Virginia. He also served as the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana from December 2012 to September 2013.

In October 2015, Mr. Boente was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and was confirmed by the United States Senate that December.