"Donald Trump has been successful in weaponizing the judicial system in some big ways, but in one area, his tactics are backfiring. Over the past few months, Republican- and Democratic-appointed judges across the country have repeatedly ruled that the president's nominees for U.S. attorney posts are being unlawfully appointed, resulting in a confusing revolving door of Trump loyalists gaining and losing top jobs."
"Specifically, the Trump administration has been running into a thorny procedural issue: To be confirmed, U.S. attorneys must receive a majority vote in the Senate. This vote traditionally gets bipartisan support, but given how extreme the president's nominees have been, even Senate Republicans have been unwilling to vote for them. And in the instances when there has been enough GOP support, Senate Democrats have effectively blocked many confirmations using procedural delays."
"This has cost Trump dearly, as yet another U.S. attorney was disqualified from her job last week. It led to the dismissal of two of the highest-profile efforts to seek vindictive prosecution against his enemies: the indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. MS NOW reported this week that the president's Department of Justice is looking to redo the Comey indictment, but the reality is that its previous failures may pose too big of a hurdle."
Numerous judges have repeatedly ruled that interim U.S. attorney nominees were unlawfully appointed, producing a revolving door of loyalists gaining and losing positions. Several disqualifications have occurred recently, including a U.S. attorney last week, and have led to dismissal of indictments targeting high-profile figures. The Department of Justice reportedly seeks to refile the Comey indictment, but prior procedural failures create substantial obstacles. Senate confirmation requires a majority vote, and many nominees faced GOP reluctance while Democrats used procedural delays. The White House and DOJ resorted to 120-day interim appointments and judge-selected prosecutors when confirmations stalled.
#interim-us-attorney-appointments #senate-confirmations #court-rulings #politically-motivated-prosecutions
Read at Slate Magazine
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