Federal Judge Rules Bill Essayli Unlawfully Serving as Top Los Angeles U.S. Attorney
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Republican Bill Essayli is not legally serving as the top U.S. prosecutor in Los Angeles, dealing the latest roadblock to the Trump administration’s effort to extend handpicked acting U.S. attorneys beyond the 120-day limit set by federal law. U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright wrote that Essayli “is unlawfully serving as a ‘de facto’ United States Attorney.”
The strategy was designed to bypass confirmation by the U.S. Senate, a constitutional process that generally requires a degree of bipartisan support. The order will not take effect until the court rules on the government’s motion for a stay pending appeal. Essayli stated that he disagrees with the court’s order, maintaining that the president and Attorney General have every right to supervise Justice Department personnel.
“Ultimately, this question will be decided by the Supreme Court, and I look forward to serving in my current role until then,” Essayli said in a statement.
A Strategy Challenged Across Multiple Jurisdictions
The former state lawmaker was appointed by the Trump administration last year to serve as Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, which includes Los Angeles. Just before the 120-day mark, then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed him as First Assistant U.S. Attorney. However, in October 2025, Seabright disqualified Essayli from overseeing several criminal cases, concluding he had stayed in the temporary job longer than allowed by law.
Although he was permitted to continue serving as a First Assistant U.S. Attorney, the administration never appointed another acting U.S. attorney, effectively leaving Essayli as the top prosecutor. He has since become a prominent figure in the administration’s clashes with California officials over health care fraud allegations and disputes regarding noncitizen voting.
Seabright noted that nothing in the revised designation order materially distinguishes Essayli’s status from an appeals court ruling in a similar case. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Sigal Chattah, the Trump administration’s initial pick for U.S. attorney in Nevada, was unlawfully appointed to lead federal prosecutions in that state. Seabright wrote that Bondi’s appointment of Essayli as a special attorney and designation as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney is identical to her appointment of Chattah.
Despite a revised designation order by U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche that trimmed some of Essayli’s duties, the judge found that nothing materially distinguishes it from the Chattah designation order deemed improper by the appeals court.
Federal judges have challenged similar interim appointments nationwide. A judge in New Jersey disqualified acting U.S. attorney Alina Habba last year, and in January, a judge ruled that John Sarcone was not lawfully serving as acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York.
