In brief
In a landmark ruling, U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell barred Sigal Chattah, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Nevada, from overseeing multiple criminal cases. The judge concluded that her authority had expired and that she was unlawfully serving in her position. Campbell emphasized that her continued appointment violated federal law, which requires confirmation of a permanent U.S. attorney. This ruling adds to recent judicial challenges against temporary appointments by the previous administration.
LAS VEGAS (PulseWire) — A judge barred the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Nevada, Sigal Chattah, from overseeing several criminal cases, ruling Tuesday that she is “not validly serving” as the state’s top federal prosecutor.
U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell disqualified Chattah from supervising four criminal prosecutions, agreeing with defense lawyers who argued her authority expired last July, thus rendering her appointment unlawful. Campbell ordered government attorneys involved in these cases to notify the court within a week that Chattah is no longer directing their work, although he did not dismiss the indictments against the defendants.
This ruling marks another setback for the Trump administration's attempts to extend the tenure of acting U.S. attorneys beyond the 120-day limit mandated by federal law, a move also blocked recently in New Jersey.
The judge criticized the administration's strategy of using temporary appointments to allow Trump’s candidates to circumvent the usual Senate confirmation process, which traditionally requires bipartisan support. Chattah, a conservative lawyer with ties to Trump, faced strong opposition from Nevada’s Democratic Senators, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.
Judge Campbell's decision underlines a significant pushback against unconventional legal maneuvers employed by the previous administration to maintain influence over federal prosecutorial appointments.
