Federal judges appointed a new top federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia on Friday, drawing an immediate rebuke from a top Justice Department official who announced the pick was fired.
Judges for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Friday announced the appointment and swearing-in of James W. Hundley as interim US attorney.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X within hours that Hundley was fired.
“Here we go again. EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you’re fired!” he posted.
The court appointment is the latest effort by federal judges to fill top prosecutor roles as President Donald Trump’s administration uses novel legal maneuvers to installed preferred picks, many of whom have been ruled to be unlawfully serving. The White House has swiftly fired previous court-appointed prosecutors, too, including one last week in the Northern District of New York.
Hundley, a graduate of Georgetown Law Center and partner at Briglia Hundley in Tysons Corner, Virginia, has 30 years experience as a litigator and argued Dickerson v. US before the Supreme Court in 2000, according to his law firm bio.
Hundley said the appointment was a “great honor” in a emailed statement Saturday.
“I would have welcomed the opportunity to support the attorneys and the staff of this outstanding Office as well as the law enforcement officers they work with. The difficult work they do on a daily basis to protect our community is critically important,” Hundley said. “Despite my dismissal by the President, I will continue to support our country and its justice system in any way I can.”
Lindsey Halligan resigned last month under pressure from federal judges. She had taken charge of the Alexandria-based Eastern Virginia office in the fall, leading the failed prosecutions of Trump’s foes, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).
DOJ had instructed Eastern Virginia prosecutors to name Blanche in court filings after Halligan resigned.
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