A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that Bill Essayli, a scandal-plagued federal prosecutor in southern California, is disqualified from overseeing several cases.
According to The Guardian, the ruling is stayed for the time being and won’t take immediate effect while the Trump administration appeals.
Essayli said he “respectfully disagrees” with the order, arguing that “the President and the Attorney General have every right to select supervisors within the Justice Department.” He said the question will ultimately “be decided by the Supreme Court” and that he looks forward “to serving in my current role until then.”
The Trump administration previously appointed Essayli to be a U.S. Attorney in California, but federal courts determined he was not lawfully appointed to that role. Since then, the Justice Department has been effectively ignoring that ruling by naming him as an “assistant” in charge of cases in the jurisdiction — the role this new court order finds to be illegal.
In recent weeks, Essayli has been helming a legal case against California, accusing the state of allowing noncitizens onto their voter rolls. Essayli has faced scrutiny from legal observers for skirting ethics lines related to the case; he publicly called California Gov. Gavin Newsom a “fraud king” on social media at the same time he is litigating the issue.
Immediately prior to the ruling being issued, the judge hearing the arguments appeared highly skeptical of Essayli’s legitimacy as a federal prosecutor.
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