Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright ordered Bill Essayli disqualified from overseeing two criminal cases on Tuesday after ruling that he is unlawfully serving as Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor.
Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright issued the decision disqualifying Bill Essayli from participating in or supervising the prosecutions in two criminal cases. While defense attorneys had requested the dismissal of the indictments against defendants in the two cases, Seabright declined to take that step.
The ruling targets a strategy by the Trump administration to keep handpicked acting U.S. attorneys in office beyond the 120-day limit set by federal law, thereby bypassing Senate confirmation.
Judge Rejects Administration Workarounds
Essayli, a former Republican state lawmaker, became interim U.S. attorney in April 2025. Just before that temporary appointment hit its statutory 120-day mark, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed him as a special attorney and designated him as first assistant U.S. attorney.
Because the administration never formally nominated him, Essayli remained the top federal prosecutor for the Central District of California in a de facto capacity. Seabright ruled that these administrative designations still granted him enough authority to effectively occupy the vacant office in violation of federal appointment laws.
Appeals Court Precedents Shape Los Angeles Ruling
The decision in Los Angeles follows a similar appellate ruling over the summer. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that a Nevada justice department leader was unlawfully appointed to lead prosecutions there.
Following that appellate decision, Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a revised delegation of authority intended to narrow Essayli’s powers. Seabright examined the modified setup during an Oct. 13 session, at which Alexander Robbins maintained that the updated delegation successfully kept Essayli’s jurisdiction on the lawful side of the boundary established by the appeals court.
Under the schedule accepted by the court, prosecutors have five business days to seek a stay pending appeal. If that request is denied, the disqualifications would take effect one week later.
Federal Challenges Mount Against Appointees Nationwide
Following an appeals court ruling that deemed her appointment illegal, Alina Habba stepped down as New Jersey’s chief federal prosecutor in December, though she stayed on within the department working as a senior adviser. In Virginia, a judge’s finding that Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed resulted in the dismissal of indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James.
#BREAKINGNEWS: A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Republican Bill Essayli is not legally serving as the top U.S. prosecutor in Los Angeles. https://t.co/oH6MhUgIY0 pic.twitter.com/2T0TX8g8BP
Defense lawyer H. Dean Steward, who challenged Essayli’s position in court, praised the outcome in a statement to the LA Times:.
Essayli Defends Ongoing Voting and Immigration Cases
During his tenure, Essayli has served as a prominent figure in administration enforcement priorities, aggressively targeting immigrants for deportation, prosecuting protesters, and launching campaigns against voter fraud that allege thousands of registered voters in California are likely non-citizens.
On Tuesday, as Seabright’s ruling was released, Essayli appeared at a news conference regarding a separate Justice Department effort challenging California over more than 20,000 registered voters the administration claims are non-citizens.
“I think this case is really on the forefront of the administration’s battle to fight for election integrity,” Essayli told reporters, adding that we wanna stop illegal voting. We don’t wanna chase it later
.
Addressing the judge’s disqualification order during the same appearance, Essayli maintained that the matter will ultimately reach the nation’s highest court.
The President and the Attorney General have every right to select supervisors within the Justice Department. Ultimately, this question will be decided by the Supreme Court, and I look forward to serving in my current role until then.