Overview
- U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield ruled that John A. Sarcone III was not lawfully serving as acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York.
- The court invalidated two subpoenas Sarcone sought for records tied to Letitia James’s cases involving President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association.
- The opinion says DOJ reinstalled Sarcone through coordinated title changes after his interim term expired and district judges declined to keep him in place.
- The decision allows DOJ to pursue similar subpoenas through a lawfully authorized official and follows other recent disqualifications in California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Virginia.
- Sarcone’s path included an interim appointment by Attorney General Pam Bondi before his rehire as a special attorney and first assistant, which James challenged as unlawful while DOJ defends as proper, and any future nomination could face Senate blue-slip obstacles.