Judge rules Trump-appointed US prosecutor in Los Angeles is not serving legally – US politics live

A federal judge has found that Bill Essayli, a Republican and ally of President Donald Trump, has no legal authority to run the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, and barred him from handling two pending criminal cases. Judge Michael Seabright's order does not take effect right away, and the Department of Justice says it will appeal, according to The Guardian.

The decision is the latest turn in a prolonged fight over how the administration has kept Essayli in place without Senate confirmation. A former state legislator, he started as interim U.S. attorney in April 2025 without a formal presidential nomination. When that interim status lapsed the following July, officials gave him an acting title and later kept him on as first assistant after another judge had already found his service unlawful. Seabright relied on an August appellate ruling in a comparable Nevada dispute, concluding that the special attorney and first assistant labels did not cure the problem. Defense lawyers in the two cases had challenged his authority.

Essayli said he disagreed and argued that the president and attorney general are entitled to choose the department's supervisors.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →