Appeals court upholds Sigal Chattah’s disqualification as US attorney in Nevada
The court said the Justice Department cannot use an appointment workaround to keep Sigal Chattah in charge of Nevada prosecutions.
- On Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Sigal Chattah cannot serve as Acting U.S. Attorney for Nevada, finding the administration's appointment strategy violated federal law and bypassed Senate confirmation procedures.
- To circumvent Senate confirmation, Attorney General Pam Bondi named Chattah 'first assistant' after her 120-day interim term expired, utilizing the Federal Vacancies Reform Act to extend her leadership of the Nevada office.
- Writing for a unanimous panel, Judge Eric D. Miller ruled the administration cannot 'create a de facto acting U.S. attorney' by delegating all duties, disqualifying Chattah from supervising three cases while leaving indictments intact.
- Following the ruling, the administration announced plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, while Las Vegas lawyer George Kelesis remains the nominee for the permanent position pending Senate confirmation.
- This ruling marks the second appellate decision within the past year rejecting these appointment tactics, as courts have struck down similar schemes in New Jersey, California, Virginia, New York, and New Mexico.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Ninth Circuit Nixes Sigal Chattah’s Appointment as Top Federal Prosecutor in Nevada
A federal appeals court on Aug. 17 declared Sigal Chattah’s appointment as top federal prosecutor in Nevada invalid and barred her from supervising criminal prosecutions. The case goes back to April 1, 2025, when President Donald Trump appointed Chattah as interim U.S. attorney for Nevada. Two days before her initial 120-day term was about to run out, then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi changed her title to “first assistant” to permit her to co…
Appeals court rejects Trump’s strategy of picking U.S. attorneys
It was the second federal appellate decision to take issue with the administration’s custom of leaving interim prosecutors in place to lead U.S. attorney’s offices to circumvent congressional approval.
Hanford Sentinel
Lodinews.comRuling disqualifying Sigal Chattah as Nevada’s US attorney affirmed by appeals court
LAS VEGAS — A federal appellate court on Monday affirmed a lower-court ruling that had disqualified Sigal Chattah from serving as Nevada’s top federal prosecutor. The decision — which the Department of Justice said it plans to take to the…
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