A federal judge on November 24 dismissed charges against two opponents of President Donald Trump - former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. He ruled that the prosecutor chosen to prosecute them was appointed illegally, Reuters reported.
The ruling dismisses two cases that Trump publicly called for as he pressured the Justice Department against high-ranking figures who had criticized him and investigated him.
Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump lawyer, was appointed acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in September to take over both investigations, despite having no prior experience as a prosecutor.
The findings by U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Curry came after both Comey and James accused the Justice Department of violating the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution and federal law.
Curry found that Halligan "had no legal authority" to bring charges against Comey or James. But Curry dismissed the cases “impartially,” allowing the Justice Department to seek new charges with a different prosecutor in charge.
“All actions resulting from the improper appointment of Halligan,” Curry wrote, are “illegal and are hereby reversed.”
After the ruling, Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters that the Justice Department “will pursue all available legal actions, including immediate appeals, to hold James and Comey accountable for their unlawful conduct.”
Bondi said that because Halligan has been appointed as a special U.S. prosecutor, she can continue to pursue cases.
“She can fight it in court, as she has, and we believe we will succeed on appeal,” Bondi said.
James and Comey separately said they were grateful to the judge for the ruling. James' attorney, Abby Lowell, said she would "continue to challenge any further politically motivated charges through all legal means available".