Trump’s Loyalist Prosecutor Hit With Humiliating Ruling
Bill Essayli has used his federal role to target the president’s enemies and protesters.
Daniel Cole/Daniel Cole/Reuters
A judge has ruled that a Donald Trump loyalist has been unlawfully serving as the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles.
Bill Essayli, a former Republican state lawmaker, was appointed by the Trump administration to serve as acting U.S. attorney for the Central District of California in April 2025.
An interim appointment is only supposed to last a maximum of 120 days, by which point the Senate must vote to confirm or reject the nomination. However, just before the 120-day deadline lapsed, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi gave Essayli a new role with the title of first assistant U.S. attorney.
The Trump administration argues that this new role resets the clock on the requirement for a federal prosecutor to be confirmed by the Senate. A similar tactic previously failed when Trump tried to keep his former personal attorney, Alina Habba, as New Jersey’s top prosecutor.
A judge in New Jersey disqualified Alina Habba as acting U.S. attorney in December 2025.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright ruled that Essayli had been “unlawfully serving as a ‘de facto’ United States Attorney” and disqualified him from overseeing two criminal cases.
In August, an appeals court also found that Sigal Chattah, the Trump administration’s initial pick for U.S. attorney in Nevada, was unlawfully appointed to the role after she was given the title of first assistant to avoid a Senate confirmation vote.
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Seabright said the steps taken to keep Essayli in his role were “identical” to the unsuccessful efforts to keep Chattah in place.
Bill Essayli is leading the DOJ’s efforts to block California from counting midterm mail-in ballots of 20,000 registered voters the Trump administration alleges are noncitizens.
Daniel Cole/Reuters
The order against Essayli will not take effect until the Department of Justice’s appeal is resolved.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s order. The president and the Attorney General have every right to select supervisors within the Justice Department,” Essayli told the Daily Beast.
“Importantly, this order has been automatically stayed so the government can seek a full stay and maintain the status quo pending our appeal. Ultimately, this question will be decided by the Supreme Court, and I look forward to serving in my current role until then.”
The day after the ruling, The New York Times featured Essayli among a list of pro-Trump attorneys carrying out the president’s agenda and grievances on his behalf.
This includes investigating baseless claims that California’s gubernatorial primary was “rigged” and filing charges against protesters demonstrating against the administration’s immigration policies that were quickly thrown out for lack of evidence.
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