"Federal judges repeatedly stated that Halligan, who once worked as a personal attorney for Trump, had no valid basis to identify herself as the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, ruling that her predecessor, Siebert, had already exhausted the 120-day period for an acting federal prosecutor. To legally occupy the job now, federal judges said, Halligan or any other potential prosecutor must be either Senate-confirmed or appointed by a district court."
"Novak's response, issued Tuesday, was equally forceful, stating that any attempt by the administration to fill the prosecutor post by appointment would violate U.S. law "and the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution." "In short, this charade of Ms. Halligan masquerading as the United States Attorney for this District in direct defiance of binding court orders must come to an end," the judge wrote."
"Lindsey Halligan, a former senior White House aide with no prior experience as a prosecutor, is now out of the post that President Trump appointed her to in eastern Virginia. Her embattled status as an interim federal prosecutor led to the dismissal of controversial Justice Department cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James."
Lindsey Halligan, a former senior White House aide with no prosecutorial experience, was removed from the acting U.S. attorney post in the Eastern District of Virginia after courts ruled her appointment unlawful. Her interim status led to dismissal of DOJ cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. President Trump appointed Halligan on Sept. 21, 2025 after Erik Siebert resigned under pressure. Federal judges found Siebert had exhausted the 120-day acting period and said any successor must be Senate-confirmed or appointed by a district court. Attorney General Pam Bondi challenged the courts; Judge David J. Novak ordered Halligan's tenure to end on grounds including the Appointments Clause.
#appointments-clause #eastern-district-of-virginia #acting-us-attorney-appointment #dismissed-doj-cases
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