On January 20th, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that prosecutor Lindsey Halligan will be leaving the US Department of Justice after a four-month term. Bondi described Halligan’s departure as a “significant loss” to the Department of Justice and criticized the circumstances leading to this outcome as “extremely wrong.”
Despite facing numerous unnecessary legal obstacles, Halligan stepped up during a national crisis with courage and determination to fulfill her duties, according to Bondi. The blame for Halligan’s departure was attributed by Bondi to the obstruction by Democratic senators who opposed Halligan’s reappointment as the federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Previously, the Trump administration had been awaiting the Senate’s review of Halligan’s nomination, but based on a long-standing tradition in the Senate known as the “blue slip process,” two Democratic senators from Virginia could block this nomination. Bondi condemned the weaponization of the “blue slip process” by Democratic senators, preventing Halligan from continuing as a US prosecutor after her 120-day term ended.
Due to lack of Senate confirmation, Halligan was only granted a temporary appointment for 120 days, a judge determined that the appointment had expired last year. Even by the Department of Justice’s more lenient calculations, her temporary term should have ended on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, US District Judge David Novak ordered that Halligan’s appointment was illegal and she should cease referring to herself as the Chief Federal Prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia in court filings submitted to him, otherwise, it would be viewed as contempt of court.
Last week, the Department of Justice submitted a strongly-worded filing accusing Judge Novak of overstepping by questioning Halligan’s appointment. On Tuesday, Judge Novak publicly solicited applications for a successor appointed by the court for Halligan.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche hinted on social media that President Trump may veto any successor appointed by the court. Before her departure, Halligan was responsible for investigating and prosecuting former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Based on the indictment by the Department of Justice and decisions made by the federal grand jury, Comey faces charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation, while James faces charges of bank fraud and providing false statements to financial institutions.
Democrats have accused Trump of abusing power to target political opponents. Another judge in the Eastern District of Virginia dismissed these cases, citing the illegal appointment of Halligan as the prosecutor by the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice is appealing these dismissal decisions.