Judge Throws Out Cases Against James Comey and Letitia James
Criminal charges against former FBI director James Comey and New York attorney general Letitia James have been dismissed after a federal judge ruled the prosecutor who brought the cases was never legally allowed to do so.
Judge Cameron McGowan Currie said Lindsey Halligan — a former White House aide chosen by Donald Trump to bring the charges against Comey and James — had no valid authority to act as interim US attorney. In her ruling, she wrote that "all actions flowing from Ms Halligan's defective appointment" must be thrown out.
Halligan stepped in after interim US attorney Erik Siebert resigned under pressure from the Trump administration. But Currie found that the 120-day window allowing the attorney general to make an interim appointment had closed on 21st May, meaning Halligan’s late-September appointment violated federal law.
The dismissal is a major relief for both defendants. Statements from both legal teams praised the judge’s decision, with James’s lawyer saying the order confirms that prosecutors were swapped out because the president wanted someone willing to pursue “these baseless charges.”
Comey, who had been charged with making false statements and obstruction, said he was thankful the court ended a prosecution he described as "based on malevolence and incompetence". He warned that "Trump will probably come after me again", but added he wasn’t afraid. James, accused of mortgage and bank-related offenses, called the outcome encouraging and said she remained "fearless in the face of these baseless charges".
Both have argued the cases were politically motivated — a belief reinforced by Trump’s frequent attacks on the pair, including his posts declaring "They're all guilty as hell" and "JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!"
The White House has insisted that the decision isn’t the end of the road, saying "this will not be the final word on this matter". Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said an appeal is coming soon. The Justice Department may also try to refile the charges later, since the dismissal was “without prejudice,” however the statute of limitations may make that impossible in Comey’s case as the statute of limitations for the crime he is being charged with passed at the end of September 2025.
Legal experts say the ruling is a sharp rebuke of the administration’s attempt to replace career prosecutors with a loyalist who had never handled a criminal case. For now, the cases are dead — and whether they resurface will depend on what happens with the government’s promised appeal.
