"U.S. Attorneys are the most powerful prosecutors in their districts. There are 93 federal districts. The U.S. Constitution provides that U.S. Attorneys are appointed by the President and must be confirmed by the Senate for four-year terms. Due to political transitions, these positions often become vacant and are filled temporarily by acting U.S. Attorneys who are appointed under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act."
"Trump and the Justice Department have circumvented the appointment process by exploiting loopholes in the Federal Vacancies Act and disregarding judicial orders on appointments in an effort to subordinate the federal criminal justice process to control by the White House. The most controversial appointments to date have included Alina Habba in New Jersey, Lindsay Halligan in Virginia, Bilal Essayli in California, Sigal Chattah in Nevada, and John Sarcone in the Northern District of New York."
"Habba and Halligan have vacated their positions as interim U.S. Attorneys following federal court rulings that deemed their appointments unlawful. Essayli's appointment was ruled unlawful, but the same judge allowed him to continue leading the office as First Assistant U.S. Attorney. Chattah was disqualified and is appealing her disqualification to the Ninth Circuit. And Sarcone's status in New York is, to say the least, tumultuous. Indeed, it is unclear who is running that office."
U.S. Attorneys hold powerful prosecutorial authority across 93 federal districts and are appointed by the President with Senate confirmation for four-year terms. Vacancies are often filled temporarily under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. The Trump administration repeatedly bypassed Senate confirmation, placing MAGA loyalists as interim U.S. Attorneys. Those appointees pursued a law enforcement agenda aligned with the White House, including investigations of Trump's political opponents. The administration exploited loopholes in the Federal Vacancies Act and ignored judicial rulings to maintain control over federal prosecutions. Several controversial interim appointments were later ruled unlawful or disqualified by courts, leaving some offices' leadership uncertain.
Read at www.amny.com
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