A Trump-backed top federal prosecutor in Nevada has been disqualified from handling criminal cases after a federal judge ruled that she is “not validly serving as Acting U.S. Attorney.”
U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell ruled that Sigal Chattah, the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada, should no longer oversee criminal cases. Campbell ruled that because Chattah was not properly serving in her role, her continued work as a top prosecutor “would be unlawful.”
In a 32-page ruling, Campbell found that the typical procedure for appointing a full-time prosecutor had not been followed, which gives either President Donald Trump or the Senate 120 days to nominate a “permanent” attorney.
“That procedure was not followed,” Campbell wrote.
The ruling came about when four men in Nevada were indicted on felony offenses. The men moved to have their charges dismissed, arguing that Chattah was not “validly” serving in her position, and asked for her disqualification from prosecuting criminal cases in Nevada.
Campbell did not dismiss the indictments. Instead, he “disqualified” her.
“Ms. Chattah is disqualified from supervising these cases or any attorneys in the handling of these cases,” Campbell wrote. “The government attorneys handling these cases shall, within 7 days of this order, file statements in the docket that they are not being supervised by Ms. Chattah in their prosecution of these cases.”
Chattah’s disqualification is the second of its kind for the Trump administration. In August, a judge in New Jersey found that Trump’s former personal attorney, Alina Habba, was “illegally” serving as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
Like Chattah, the judge found that Habba had not been appointed to a permanent position within the 120-day time period and ruled that any actions Habba took since the end of the 120 days would “declared void.”
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