Lindsey Halligan's ‘US Attorney' title under scrutiny as Judge demands explanation

A Trump loyalist, Lindsey Halligan has been ordered by a U.S. federal judge to provide an explanation why she’s still using the title of U.S. attorney on Tuesday, January 7, 2026.

U.S. District Judge David Novak, in his ruling giving Halligan seven days to respond, asked her to explain why her actions do not constitute “a false or misleading statement,” which could lead to disciplinary proceedings.

Judge Novak said the ruling that her appointment is unlawful is “binding precedent in this district and is not subject to being ignored.”

For context, in November last year, U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie had ruled that Halligan was unlawfully appointed as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

That resulted in the dismissal of indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom are political rivals of President Donald Trump.

Judge Novak issued a rare, unprompted order on Tuesday, January 7, stating that although the government has appealed, Currie’s ruling is still binding.

The order comes weeks after another federal judge dismissed the DOJ case against New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and former FBI Director James Comey, which found that Halligan’s appointment was “defective.”

Lindsey Halligan, a former personal attorney for Donald Trump with no prosecutorial experience, was appointed days before the grand jury handed up the indictments, made at Trump’s direction and despite objections from career prosecutors.

According to a report by the U.S. media outlet MS News, the White House has begun the process of seeking standard Senate confirmation for Halligan, a move that could lead to Currie’s ruling being tossed before the appeal is resolved.