Judge Bars Bill Essayli From 2 Cases, Rules He Illegally Leads Los Angeles Prosecutors
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 28
Judge Bars Bill Essayli From 2 Cases, Rules He Illegally Leads Los Angeles Prosecutors
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 28
Summary
U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright ruled Bill Essayli is unlawfully serving as the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles and barred him from participating in or supervising two criminal cases.
April 2025 marked Essayli’s interim appointment, but he was never formally nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate; after that interim term ended in July, the administration kept him in office under acting, special attorney and first-assistant titles.
An August appellate ruling in a similar Nevada case underpinned Seabright’s latest order, which said those redesignations still did not cure the legal defect.
The order will not take effect immediately because the Justice Department plans to appeal, while Essayli said the president and attorney general have authority to choose Justice Department supervisors.
The fight extends a long-running clash over whether the Trump administration can keep Senate-unconfirmed officials in powerful prosecutorial posts by shifting their titles.