A federal judge threw out the criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling that the lawyer who brought the cases had been illegally appointed.
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The appointment of Lindsey Halligan – a Trump ally – as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was unlawful, US District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie said in rulings on Monday.
She dismissed the charges against Comey and James without prejudice, meaning that prosecutors may be able to refile the cases.
“I conclude that the attorney general’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid and that Ms. Halligan has been unlawfully serving in that role since September 22, 2025,” Currie, a Bill Clinton appointee, wrote in separate rulings in both cases.
US President Donald Trump abruptly installed Halligan in September after her predecessor resigned under pressure to bring charges against Comey and James.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi decided how to appoint her and Halligan was the sole lawyer who secured separate grand jury indictments against both of them.
The rulings represent another astonishing rebuke of how Trump and his Justice Department have handled cases within his administration, as other prosecutors have been dealt significant blows by federal judges who found their methods to be suspect or unlawful.