Overview
- U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled Lindsey Halligan had been unlawfully serving as interim U.S. attorney since September, voiding actions she took including both indictments.
- The opinion interprets 28 U.S.C. § 546 to allow a single 120‑day interim term that began with Erik Siebert’s January 21, 2025 appointment and ended May 21, after which only the district court could fill the vacancy.
- The dismissals are without prejudice, and the White House said the Justice Department will appeal, though any new case against Comey faces a likely statute‑of‑limitations bar.
- Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience, was the sole prosecutor before the grand juries after President Trump publicly urged prosecutions of his critics.
- The ruling aligns with a broader pattern of courts questioning recent interim U.S. attorney appointments and intensifies scrutiny of the Justice Department’s staffing and charging decisions.