Judge Tosses Trump Cases Against Comey And Letitia James, Citing ‘Illegally’ Appointed Prosecutor

A federal judge on Monday dismissed criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, dealing a major blow to two of the Trump administration’s most prominent efforts to prosecute political adversaries. The ruling found that the prosecutor who brought the indictments, U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, had been unlawfully installed in her role.

U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie issued simultaneous orders throwing out both sets of charges, after reviewing the cases in tandem. Comey had been accused of lying to Congress, while James faced a mortgage-fraud indictment; both brought after Halligan replaced former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert, who was reportedly removed for refusing to move forward with the politically charged prosecutions.

Defense attorneys for Comey and James argued that the indictments were invalid from the start, asserting that the administration bypassed federal rules governing interim U.S. attorney appointments and that only district court judges had authority to choose Siebert’s successor. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Halligan instead, a move the defense said violated federal statute.

Judge Currie agreed, concluding that “Halligan had no lawful authority to present the indictment” in either matter. Without a lawfully appointed prosecutor, she ruled, the government’s cases could not proceed.

Both dismissals were issued “without prejudice,” leaving open the possibility that federal officials could attempt to refile the charges, though doing so would likely require restarting the process under new prosecutors.

The decision closes, at least for now, two high-profile criminal cases that had become symbols of the Trump administration’s aggressive posture toward critics and rivals. The Justice Department has not yet indicated whether it plans to appeal or seek new indictments.