9TH CIR.Court order
Judge rules Bill Essayli is unlawfully serving as de facto U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, bars him from two cases
Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright ruled on Tuesday, October 27, that Bill Essayli is unlawfully serving as Los Angeles' top federal prosecutor and disqualified him from overseeing two criminal cases. Seabright found the Justice Department's revised delegation made no meaningful difference after a Ninth Circuit ruling on Nevada's Sigal Chattah. He declined to dismiss the indictments and delayed the disqualifications pending an expected stay request.
Order (Bloomberg Law) → · Los Angeles Times
Key points
- Seabright wrote that Essayli is unlawfully serving as a de facto U.S. attorney under his first assistant title.Bloomberg LawLos Angeles Times
- The order bars Essayli from participating in or supervising the prosecutions of Jaime Hector Ramirez and Tu Anh Tran.Bloomberg LawLos Angeles Times
- Seabright declined to dismiss the indictments, finding the defendants had not shown substantial prejudice.Bloomberg LawLos Angeles Times
- He found the revised delegation withholding three statutory powers 'in reality withholds nothing.'Los Angeles Times
- The disqualifications are on hold while the court considers an anticipated government motion for a stay pending appeal.Los Angeles Times