2 publishers · first seen Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:49 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:06 UTC
A federal judge has ruled that Bill Essayli, a conservative lawyer appointed by President Donald Trump as the top U.S. prosecutor in Los Angeles, has been serving unlawfully. Essayli, who was appointed acting U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, was found to be in violation of federal law, which sets a 120-day limit on temporary appointments. The ruling by District Judge J Michael Seabright will not take effect until the government's appeal is resolved. Essayli has been leading the Department of Justice's efforts to block California from counting midterm mail-in ballots of 20,000 registered voters the Trump administration alleges are noncitizens.
Essayli, a former Republican state lawmaker, was appointed by the Trump administration to serve as acting U.S. attorney for the Central District of California in April 2025. An interim appointment is only supposed to last a maximum of 120 days, by which point the Senate must vote to confirm or reject the nomination. However, just before the 120-day deadline lapsed, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi gave Essayli a new role with the title of first assistant U.S. attorney.
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