Lindsey Halligan leaves interim U.S. attorney post amid legal standoff
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The interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia has left her post after completing a 120-day appointment amid a legal stalemate in which a federal judge questioned her authority, refused to appoint a successor and triggered an appeal over the separation of powers.
Trump’s former lawyer, Lindsey Halligan, announced her departure Tuesday, saying a federal judge ruled that her appointment was invalid and that the district court had sole authority to name an interim successor following the departure of Erik Siebert.
He said the decision led the court to consider his appointment as disqualifying, including removing his name from court files.
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Former interim U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan said her exit followed a court decision that invalidated her appointment and created a power vacuum that is now being appealed. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I have been subject to baseless accusations of lying to the court and making false or misleading statements,” Halligan wrote. “I was ordered to respond to spontaneous orders and personally sign petitions explaining why my name was included in the pleadings, resulting in a diversion of time and resources from public safety responsibilities. Assistant U.S. Attorneys were told in open court that I must resign.”
He said that even after declaring his appointment invalid, the district court did not take the step required by law to appoint a new U.S. attorney to fill the role.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the service of former interim U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan and said her departure is a significant loss for the Justice Department. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
Instead, he said, the court treated him as if he had been suspended by erasing his name from the rolls and declaring his appointment unlawful, but took no action to fill what he said was the current vacancy.
“In short, the court took no action to fill the gap that it said already existed,” Halligan said. he wrote. “The result was a vacuum: the Executive Branch was told it had no power to appoint, and the Judiciary refused to exercise the power it claimed belonged solely to it. This contradiction is now on appeal.”
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Attorney General Pam Bondi praised Halligan’s tenure as interim U.S. attorney, saying Halligan served with distinction and focused on prosecuting violent criminals to protect Eastern Virginia’s more than six million residents.
“Democratic Senators have weaponized the blue slip process, making it impossible for Lindsey to continue her term as U.S. Attorney beyond the expiration of her 120-day term,” Bondi wrote to X.
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“His departure is a significant loss for the Department of Justice and the communities it serves,” Bondi said. he continued. “While we will feel his absence sorely, we are confident that he will continue to serve his country in other ways.”
Bondi said the circumstances surrounding Halligan’s departure were “deeply misguided,” adding that the Justice Department would continue to seek review of decisions that he said “impeded our ability to keep the American people safe.”
