DOJ Backs Virginia Prosecutor, Slams Judge Challenging Her Title

The Justice Department is standing behind President Donald Trump’s handpicked US attorney in Virginia even though a judge found she was unlawfully appointed.

The department slammed a federal judge Tuesday for questioning why Lindsey Halligan continues to appear as the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in court filings and for suggesting she could face disciplinary measures.

The department said in a filing that Halligan wasn’t required to relinquish her title and that a single judge doesn’t have the authority to prevent it from asserting its legal position in the litigation.

Lindsey Halligan

Photographer: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

“The court’s thinly veiled threat ...