Trump-appointed Virginia prosecutor Lindsey Halligan resigns after scathing court rulings

United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump’s handpicked interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, has stepped down following a scathing ruling by a federal judge.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi made the announcement of her departure on X, formerly Twitter, stating that Halligan’s departure was a significant loss for the Department of Justice.

Bondi added, “The 36-year-old attorney will continue to serve the country in other ways.”

A federal judge, Cameron McGowan Currie, determined in November 2025 that Halligan's term as interim attorney was illegal while dismissing the indictments against former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

However, she continued to use the title on legal documents, prompting a withering response from U.S. District Judge David Novak, a Trump appointee confirmed in 2019, who criticised Halligan’s use of sharp language to push back on the judge's questioning of her authority.

In an 18-page ruling, Judge Novak wrote, “I find Halligan’s position to be unavailing. Her response to the court contains a level of vitriol more appropriate for a cable news talk show and falls far beneath the level of advocacy expected from litigants in this Court.”

He also warned of disciplinary action against Halligan and any attorney who signed a filing using the “improper moniker.”

According to CNN, her departure marks an end to her chaotic tenure that included cases targeting the president’s political opponents.