Judge Disqualifies Trump-Appointed Prosecutor
A U.S. District Judge has disqualified Sigal Chattah, acting U.S. Attorney in Nevada, from overseeing four criminal cases, ruling that her appointment was unlawful and thus any involvement in those prosecutions would be “unlawful.” The ruling is seen as a significant legal setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to keep its preferred prosecutors in place despite bypassing Senate confirmation.
Chattah was initially installed in March 2025 under a 120-day interim appointment. As her term approached expiration in July, the administration tried to reassign her under a different legal authority to extend her tenure — a move Judge David Campbell found to be invalid. The court held that she was not legally serving as acting U.S. Attorney after July, meaning her role in those cases would lack statutory backing.
The defendants in the four cases had challenged Chattah’s authority, arguing that she lacked power to supervise their prosecutions.Judge Campbell declined to dismiss the indictments, but required that Chattah be removed from oversight and that other prosecutors formally state she is no longer directing their work. The judge emphasized the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which governs temporary appointments to executive branch positions requiring Senate confirmation, interpreting it as limiting how long someone can serve in an acting capacity.
This decision mirrors a similar ruling from August, when another Trump-appointed figure, Alina Habba, was disqualified from cases in New Jersey on the grounds that her acting appointment was invalid. Critics say these rulings expose a pattern in the DOJ under Trump of trying to circumvent Senate oversight by creative appointment tactics. The Justice Department hasn’t publicly commented on the Nevada ruling as of now.
Why It Matters
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Undermines attempts to bypass Senate confirmation by extending acting appointments beyond legal limits.
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Reinforces the principle that prosecutorial authority must rest on lawful appointment, not political maneuvering.
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Puts previously filed cases and prosecutions in jeopardy of revision or challenge.
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Signals to courts and defense attorneys they can press challenges to flawed appointments.
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Adds legal pressure on the Trump administration’s DOJ to adhere more strictly to statutory rules and oversight norms.
Key Legal Outcomes
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Chattah is disqualified from supervising the four named criminal cases. Reuters+2Politico+2
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Indictments in those cases remain in place; they were not dismissed outright. AP News+1
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Other prosecutors on those cases must file statements confirming Chattah is no longer directing them. AP News+2Reuters+2
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The ruling interprets the Federal Vacancies Reform Act as limiting unlawful extensions of acting roles. AP News+2CBS News+2
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This sets precedent: similar appointment maneuvers in other districts may be legally vulnerable. The Washington Post+2Politico+2
Publication Date & Source
- Date: October 1, 2025 Reuters+1
- Source: Reuters, AP and other major outlets: “US judge disqualifies Nevada prosecutor from four cases in blow to Trump” — Reuters Reuters
