Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-appointed interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia who brought criminal charges against two of President Donald Trump’s political adversaries, is leaving the post after the expiration of her 120-day term, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday night.
Halligan’s departure follows weeks of escalating courtroom clashes over the legality of her appointment, with multiple federal judges questioning whether she had any authority to continue serving in the role. Bondi lamented the departure of the former White House aide-turned-prosecutor in a statement, blaming Senate Democrats and home-state senators who refused to support the president’s nomination.
“During her 120-day tenure as Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan served with the utmost distinction and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law,” Bondi said in a statement posted to X. “Democratic Senators weaponized the blue slip process, making it impossible for Lindsey’s term as United States Attorney to continue following the expiration of her 120-day appointment.”
Halligan was appointed in September to a temporary stint as the district’s top federal prosecutor. That appointment expired Tuesday, the final day allowed under federal law for an interim U.S. attorney installed by the Department of Justice to serve without Senate confirmation.
Halligan’s brief tenure was among the most controversial of any U.S. attorney in the country. As a former personal attorney to Trump, with no prior experience as a federal prosecutor, she was elevated to the powerful post amid intense pressure from Trump allies to pursue investigations into the president’s perceived enemies.
Within weeks of taking office, Halligan secured indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Since Trump’s first term in 2017, he has railed against the former FBI director for his initiation and oversight of the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. Likewise, he has begrudged the Empire State attorney general for her $364 million civil fraud case against his family’s business empire.
The respective indictments against Comey and James quickly unraveled following their announcement last year, after U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled in November that Halligan had been illegally appointed and lacked authority to bring the charges. Both indictments were dismissed, and the Justice Department has appealed.
As her 120-day term wound down, Halligan faced mounting resistance from the federal bench.
On Tuesday, two separate judges in the Eastern District of Virginia issued orders underscoring that her time in office had ended.
Chief U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck directed court officials to post a vacancy announcement seeking candidates to serve as a court-appointed U.S. attorney until the Senate confirms a nominee. Lauck noted that Halligan’s temporary appointment expired Tuesday.
In a second order, U.S. District Judge David J. Novak barred Halligan from continuing to identify herself as “United States Attorney” in court filings and warned that she could face disciplinary action if she did so.
“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.”
Novak, a Trump appointee whom two Virginia Democratic senators co-signed during his first term, issued the rebuke after Halligan, backed by Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, filed a defiant response defending her authority. Novak sharply criticized the tone of that filing, saying it contained “a level of vitriol more appropriate for a cable news talk show.”
The legal battle over Halligan highlighted a rarely tested provision of federal law governing U.S. attorney vacancies. While the attorney general may appoint an interim prosecutor for 120 days, federal judges are empowered to select a replacement once that period expires. The Trump administration has attempted to challenge that rule in federal court but has sustained setbacks on appeal.
Bondi denounced that system in her statement, framing Halligan’s exit as part of a broader struggle between the Trump administration and the judiciary.
VIRGINIA FEDERAL JUDGES SEEKS REPLACEMENT FOR TRUMP-APPOINTED PROSECUTOR LINDSEY HALLIGAN
“We are living in a time when a democratically elected President’s ability to staff key law enforcement positions faces serious obstacles,” Bondi said. “The Department of Justice will continue to seek review of decisions like this that hinder our ability to keep the American people safe.”
Halligan was installed after the Trump administration forced out veteran U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert in September amid reports that he pushed back on efforts to bring indictments against Comey and James. Trump later nominated Halligan to serve permanently, though her nomination was never considered in the Senate.
