Name: Lindsey Halligans appointment at center of charges being dismissed
Uploaded: 2025-11-25T17:28:19.320Z
Duration: 1 min 36 s
Description: A judge dismissed cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James over the appointment of Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. attorney brought on by the Trump administration.

A judge dismissed cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James over the appointment of Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. attorney brought on by the Trump administration.

Washington

A federal judge has dismissed the cases against James Comey and Letitia James, ruling that the prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, was not lawfully appointed to her position as acting U.S. attorney in Virginia. The judge determined that because Halligan was not properly confirmed by the Senate or approved by the courts, the cases could not proceed.

The White House has announced plans to appeal the decision, arguing that Halligan is both qualified and was legally appointed. As of the latest update from Washington, no appeal had been filed, but one is expected in the near future.

Lindsey Halligan's appointment at center of charges being dismissed

Now I want to jump to our other big story, the dismissal of the cases against James Comey and Letitia James, CBS News Justice correspondent. Scott McFarlane, as you see, is on our screens from our Washington bureau to bring us the latest. Scott, good morning to you. A massive rebuke from the judge. What exactly did she say the White House exceeded in its power exactly? This is a procedural ruling, not a ruling on the merits of these two controversial landmark cases. What the judge ruled here is that the prosecutor who brought these cases is not lawfully in her position. Therefore, the cases collapse. Lindsey Halligan, the acting U.S. attorney in Virginia since September, was the only prosecutor who faced the grand jury to secure these indictments, was the only prosecutor to put her name on these cases initially. And if she's not lawfully in the post, the cases collapse, according to the judge. And the judge also made this argument in her ruling that the administration seems to be doing an end run around the Senate, which must confirm U.S. attorneys, or the courts, which approve acting U.S. attorneys if the Senate can't confirm them. The White House just implanted its own preferred person. The White House press secretary says they do plan to appeal and criticize the ruling. The Department of Justice will be appealing very soon, and it is our position that Lindsey Halligan is extremely qualified for this position, but, more importantly, was legally appointed to it. Errol, as the morning began here in Washington, no appeal had yet been filed, but one could be expected in the coming days or coming weeks. All right. Scott McFarlane in our D.C. Bureau. Thank you, Scott.

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