Judges in the Eastern District of Virginia have opened an application process for a new U.S. attorney a clear sign that Trump’s preferred pick, Lindsey Halligan, has exceeded the legal time limit to remain in the role.
This move escalates a growing standoff between the district’s judges and the Trump administration. At issue is the administration’s continued use of workaround appointment tactics to keep U.S. attorneys in place without Senate confirmation a strategy that has also been used in Nevada, California, New York, and New Jersey.
What makes this situation especially alarming is that Halligan has continued to act as U.S. attorney despite lacking lawful authority. In an extraordinary step, a federal judge even struck her signature from a court filing a rare acknowledgment that her service in the position is not legally valid.
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