Judge Rules LA’s Top Prosecutor Bill Essayli Not Legally Serving

A federal judge has found that Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, is serving unlawfully as a de facto US attorney, The Associated Press reported. The Bill Essayli ruling by US District Judge J. Michael Seabright was issued on Tuesday (Oct 27, US time).

Bill Essayli ruling on hold pending stay

The order will not take effect until the court decides on the government’s motion for a stay pending appeal, according to the report.

Essayli said in a statement that he expects the issue to reach the country’s highest court. “Ultimately, this question will be decided by the Supreme Court,” he said, adding that he looked forward to continuing in his current role until then. He also said the president and the attorney general have every right to choose supervisors within the Justice Department.

How Essayli came to lead the office

Essayli, a former federal prosecutor and Republican state lawmaker, was appointed by the Trump administration last year as acting US attorney for the Central District of California, which covers Los Angeles.

Shortly before he reached the 120-day limit for acting US attorneys under federal law, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed him first assistant US attorney. The administration never named another acting US attorney, which effectively left Essayli in charge, the AP said.

In October 2025, Seabright disqualified Essayli from overseeing several criminal cases after finding he had stayed in the temporary post longer than the law allowed, while allowing him to remain as first assistant.

In the new ruling, the judge said Bondi’s appointment of Essayli as a special attorney and first assistant was identical to her appointment of Sigal Chattah in Nevada. A later designation by Attorney General Todd Blanche reduced some of Essayli’s duties, but the judge found nothing in it that materially set it apart from the Chattah arrangement.

Similar rulings across the country

The Ninth Circuit appeals court found in August that Chattah, the administration’s initial choice to lead federal prosecutions in Nevada, had been unlawfully appointed.

The AP also noted that a New Jersey judge disqualified acting US attorney Alina Habba last year, and that a judge ruled in January that John Sarcone was not lawfully serving as acting US attorney for the Northern District of New York.

#latestmalaysia

New: Comey Hit With Espionage Act Charges in Third DOJ Case