Judge Disqualifies Nevada’s Acting U.S. Attorney From Handling Cases

A federal judge on Tuesday disqualified Nevada’s top federal prosecutor from handling cases, a rebuke to the Trump administration’s attempts to circumvent federal appointment procedures put in place by Congress.

Judge David G. Campbell of the Federal District Court in Arizona, who was temporarily assigned to handle the case in Nevada, said that the prosecutor, Sigal Chattah, was “not validly serving as acting U.S. attorney” and that her involvement in cases “would be unlawful.”

Challenges to her appointment had been brought in four different cases. The judge disqualified her from supervising the cases or “any attorneys in the handling of these cases.”

Ms. Chattah’s office declined to comment on the ruling.

Ms. Chattah is a Republican activist and a supporter of President Trump who was previously a lawyer for the state Republican Party. She was also the party’s unsuccessful candidate for attorney general in 2022.

As a private lawyer, Ms. Chattah has sued on behalf of a client seeking to decriminalize the harassment of election workers. Last month, she said that she would be “revisiting election cases” as the state’s top federal prosecutor, adding that a broad election inquiry was in the works.

In late July, the Trump administration decided to extend the terms of Ms. Chattah in Nevada and Bill Essayli in Southern California, who had initially been appointed “interim” U.S. attorneys. Interim appointments expire after 120 days, but the administration extended their terms by naming them both acting U.S. attorneys. Permanent U.S. attorney appointments typically require approval either by the U.S. Senate or by local federal judges. Public defenders in Nevada and California had challenged Ms. Chattah’s and Mr. Essayli’s appointments.