A quiet power grab is unfolding in federal courthouses across the country. One by one, unelected judges are stripping a duly elected president of his ability to staff the very department responsible for enforcing our laws. Trump-appointed prosecutors in multiple states have now been sidelined by judicial rulings that hand the judiciary what amounts to veto power over executive branch personnel. Forget legislative gridlock – if the president can’t even choose who enforces the law, who’s actually running the show?
This isn’t some abstract legal seminar. In Virginia, a nearly identical ruling led directly to the dismissal of indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James – two figures millions of Americans believe desperately need accountability. In New Jersey, Alina Habba was forced out. In Nevada, Sigal Chattah got blocked. And now, it’s happened again – this time in the nation’s second-largest city.
From Just the News:
A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in southern California, was “unlawfully serving” in his role.
The ruling disqualifies Essayli from overseeing two criminal prosecutions, The Guardian reported.
So here we go again. Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright declared that Essayli – a former Republican California state lawmaker serving as Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutor since April 2025 – was operating as a “de facto” U.S. attorney without Senate confirmation. The Justice Department tried multiple workarounds, redesignating Essayli as “special attorney” and “first assistant.” Seabright swatted down every single one.
Essayli, to his credit, didn’t flinch. He stated plainly that the president and attorney general have “every right to select supervisors within the Justice Department.” He expects the case will ultimately land before the Supreme Court. Good. It should.
The damage is already done
This isn’t a bureaucratic squabble in some marble hallway. Two active criminal prosecutions are now in limbo. Defense attorneys aren’t bothering to argue their clients are innocent – they’re exploiting procedural technicalities to challenge the prosecutor’s very legitimacy. That’s the game now. The DOJ warned of “chaotic practical effects,” and honestly, that’s an understatement. When judges handcuff prosecutors, criminals walk freer.
Only the Supreme Court can fix this
The Trump administration has already petitioned the Supreme Court to review the Nevada case that spawned this whole precedent. That review cannot arrive fast enough. The American people voted for this president and his law enforcement priorities – over 77 million of them, to be specific.
When a handful of federal judges can override that mandate and effectively decide who gets to prosecute criminals in American cities, something fundamental has broken. The Supreme Court needs to step in decisively. Because right now, the robes are running the executive branch – and nobody voted for them.
Key Takeaways
- A federal judge declared Trump’s top LA prosecutor “unlawfully serving” in his role.
- Similar judicial rulings derailed prosecutions of James Comey and Letitia James.
- Unelected judges are systematically blocking the president’s authority to staff the DOJ.
- The Supreme Court must urgently resolve this growing constitutional crisis.
Sources: Just The News, Los Angeles Times
