A lawyer appointed by judges to serve as the chief federal prosecutor in a Virginia office known for pursuing legal actions against President Donald Trump’s adversaries was abruptly dismissed on Friday. The Justice Department’s decision marks another chapter in the ongoing conflict over the appointment of influential U.S. attorneys.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche took to social media to announce the termination of James Hundley, shortly after he was unanimously selected by the judiciary to step in as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, succeeding former Trump attorney Lindsey Halligan.
According to legal statutes, district courts have the authority to appoint U.S. attorneys when an initial appointment concludes. However, the Trump administration has consistently maintained that this power resides solely with the executive branch.
“EDVA judges do not pick our U.S. Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you’re fired!” Blanche declared in a post on X.
James Hundley, who boasts over three decades of experience handling both criminal and civil cases, did not immediately respond to an email request for comment on Friday evening.
The recent dismissal of Hundley underscores the ongoing turmoil within one of the Justice Department’s most prestigious prosecution divisions. Since September, the office has been grappling with instability following the resignation of a seasoned prosecutor amid pressure from the Trump administration to pursue charges against two prominent political adversaries: former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
That prosecutor, Erik Siebert, was effectively forced out and swiftly replaced by Halligan, a White House aide who secured indictments against Comey and James but was later deemed by a judge to have been unlawfully appointed.
The cases were dismissed, but the Justice Department has appealed that decision.
Halligan resigned from the position last month after judges in the district signaled continued skepticism over the legitimacy of her appointment.
US attorneys, the top federal prosecutors in regional Justice Department offices around the country, typically require Senate confirmation but the law does permit attorneys general to make temporary appointments for limited time periods.
In several instances, though, the Justice Department has attempted to leave its temporary appointees in place in ways that have invited court challenges and drawn resistance from judges who have found the appointments unlawful.
Last week, a lawyer appointed by judges to be the US attorney for northern New York was fired by the Justice Department after spending less than a day in the job.
Judges in the district appointed Kinsella after declining to keep the Trump administration’s pick, John Sarcone, in place after his 120-day term elapsed.
