Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-appointed federal attorney who oversaw the failed prosecutions of two of the president’s political opponents, has left her post at the US justice department, according to attorney general Pam Bondi.
The departure follows months of blistering judicial criticism and mounting rulings questioning whether Halligan had any legal authority to hold her position. Halligan, who previously served as Donald Trump’s personal attorney and had no prior prosecutorial experience, was sworn in last September as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Her appointment came after the president pushed out her predecessor, who had declined to pursue charges against New York attorney general Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey. Halligan went on to oversee indictments against both figures—cases that were swiftly criticized as politically motivated and later dismissed outright by a federal judge.
In throwing out the indictments last November, the judge ruled that Halligan had been unlawfully appointed and therefore lacked the authority to bring the cases at all. Under federal law, attorneys general may appoint interim US attorneys for 120-day terms. But Halligan’s appointment was deemed invalid because her predecessor had already served a full interim term, leaving the power to fill the vacancy solely with the district’s federal judges.
Justice department lawyers argued that the administration could make back-to-back interim appointments. At least six federal judges rejected that position, according to reporting by the Washington Post.
The pressure intensified this week. On Tuesday, federal judge David Novak ordered the words “United States attorney” removed from Halligan’s signature on an indictment, ruling that she was prohibited from continuing to present herself under that title. Novak warned that disciplinary proceedings could follow if she defied the order.
“No matter all of her machinations, Ms Halligan has no legal basis to represent to this Court that she holds the position,” Novak wrote. “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.”
In a separate order the same day, chief judge M. Hannah Lauck directed the court clerk to publish a job announcement for the US attorney role, formally declaring the position vacant.
Bondi announced Halligan’s exit in a social media post, praising her for having “fulfilled her responsibilities with courage and resolve,” while condemning what she called misguided obstacles to a democratically elected president staffing key law enforcement positions.
