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Federal Judge ‘Disqualifies’ MAGA Prosecutor In L.A. – But It Won’t Matter

By POLITICS COMMENTARY

Back in April, former California Assemblyman Bill Essayli — a no-nonsense Republican who’s made a name for calling out corruption in Sacramento — was tapped by the Trump administration to serve as U.S. attorney for the massive Central District of California.

That’s the nation’s largest judicial district, covering seven counties in the Los Angeles area — and it’s about time someone with a spine is put in charge there.

Since taking the post, Essayli has proven himself a loyal defender of President Donald Trump’s agenda — backing ICE, standing firmly for law and order, and unapologetically enforcing immigration laws.

But on Tuesday evening, a federal judge threw cold water on that momentum, ruling that Essayli’s appointment was unlawful because his initial 120-day term had expired. The decision means he’ll need Senate confirmation to stay in the job:

The ruling creates leadership uncertainty in the nation’s largest judicial district, the Central District of California, which serves seven counties in the Los Angeles area. The order was issued by Judge J. Michael Seabright of the Federal District Court in Hawaii, who ruled that the Trump appointee, Bill Essayli, “is not lawfully serving as acting United States Attorney” and “cannot continue to perform any role” that job entails.

So what’s the real impact of the judge’s ruling? Not much, if you ask Essayli. The Trump-appointed prosecutor brushed it off Tuesday night, posting on social media that the decision was hardly a game-changer:

The judge’s ruling wasn’t the knockout blow critics were hoping for. Essayli will stay on as the top deputy and first assistant U.S. attorney — effectively keeping his hand on the wheel. And despite the left’s wishful thinking, the charges he’s brought in multiple cases remain fully intact:

The judge also did not dismiss the three criminal cases being prosecuted by the U.S. attorney’s office in which defense lawyers had argued that Mr. Essayli lacked legal standing to prosecute. And while Mr. Essayli could not supervise the cases as the head of the office, the judge ruled, he could supervise them as the office’s top deputy.

The situation mirrors what happened with Alina Habba — the acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey and longtime Trump ally — who a judge ruled in August was ineligible to stay in her post. But Team Trump didn’t back down. Instead, they pulled off a clever workaround, finding a way to keep Habba in the fight and the Biden-era bureaucracy on its heels:

So Habba could remain in the position, Trump withdrew her nomination to be the state’s U.S. attorney. She was appointed both as a special attorney with all the powers of U.S. attorney and as a first assistant, making her acting U.S. attorney.

Habba’s case is currently being considered by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia.

All of this bureaucratic drama could be cleared up in no time if Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) would just stop clinging to the outdated “blue slip” tradition — the unwritten Senate courtesy that lets a single senator torpedo nominations for district courts and U.S. attorneys in their state. It’s a relic Democrats weaponize to block Trump’s picks. In New Jersey, Democrat Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim are stonewalling Alina Habba’s nomination, while in California, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla are doing the same to Bill Essayli.

It’s pure partisan obstruction, dressed up as procedure. And it’s time it went away. Let the Senate vote.

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