Lindsey Halligan leaves interim U.S. attorney post amid legal standoff

The interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia has left her post after completing her 120-day appointment amid a legal crisis in which a federal judge questioned her authority, refused to appoint a successor, and sparked a separation of powers appeal.

Lindsay Halligan, a former Trump lawyer, announced her departure on Tuesday, saying that a federal judge ruled in November that her appointment was invalid and that only the district court had the authority to name an interim successor after Eric Seibert’s exit.

She said the ruling prompted the court to treat her appointment as disqualifying, including removing her name from court documents.

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“I have been subjected to baseless accusations of lying to court and making false or misleading statements,” Halligan wrote. “I was ordered to respond automatically and personally sign documents explaining why my name appears in pleadings, diverting time and resources from my public safety responsibilities. Assistant U.S. Attorneys were told in open court that I must resign.”

She said that even after her appointment was declared invalid, the district court did not take the step with its own reading of the law required to appoint a new U.S. attorney to fill the role.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the service of former interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, calling her departure a significant loss for the Department of Justice. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

Instead, she said the court treated her as if she had been removed by striking her name from the files and declaring her appointment illegal, while taking no action to fill what she said was an already vacant position.

“In short, the court took no action to fill the vacancy it said actually existed,” Halligan wrote. “The result was a vacuum: the executive was told it lacked the power of appointment, and the judiciary refused to exercise the power it claimed to be exclusively its own. This contradiction is now under appeal.”

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Attorney General Pam Bondi praised Halligan’s tenure as interim U.S. Attorney, saying she served with distinction and focused on prosecuting violent crimes to protect Eastern Virginia’s population of more than six million.

“Senate Democrats have weaponized Operation Blue Slip, making it impossible for Lindsey to continue as United States Attorney beyond her 120-day appointment,” Bondi wrote on X. “Despite multiple and unnecessary legal hurdles placed in her path, Lindsay stepped forward at a critical juncture for our nation and fulfilled her responsibilities with courage and determination.”

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“Her passing represents a great loss to the Department of Justice and the communities it served,” Bondi continued. “While her absence will be keenly felt, we are confident that she will continue to serve her country in other ways.”

Bondi said the circumstances surrounding Halligan’s departure were “deeply misleading,” adding that the Justice Department would continue to seek review of decisions that she said “impede our ability to keep the American people safe.”