A federal judge has ordered Trump loyalist Lindsey Halligan to explain herself — and fast.
Judge David J. Novak in Richmond, Virginia, gave the controversial prosecutor just a week to justify why she continues signing official court documents as the U.S. attorney for Eastern Virginia, despite being ruled unlawfully appointed, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
The order comes after another judge, Cameron McGowan Currie, determined the Justice Department violated the Constitution when it installed Halligan in the post. Novak’s order marks the “most robust” pushback yet against Halligan’s refusal to step aside.
Novak warned that Halligan’s repeated signing of court papers could constitute “false or misleading statements,” hinting at potential disciplinary action.
Currie previously found that Trump’s back-to-back temporary appointments were unlawful and tossed two high-profile cases Halligan filed against Trump enemies: ex-FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The original prosecutor, Erik Siebert, was fired after refusing to prosecute Comey and James. Trump then tapped Halligan temporarily, a move legal experts have said violates federal law.
Novak, himself a Trump appointee, made it clear he believed Currie’s ruling was “binding” despite the Justice Department’s appeal.
“Consequently,” he wrote, “it remains the binding precedent in this district and is not subject to being ignored.”
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