Federal Judge Disqualifies Nevada Acting U.S. Attorney Over Appointment Legality

A federal judge has disqualified Sigal Chattah, a Trump-appointed acting U.S. Attorney for Nevada, from overseeing several criminal cases, ruling that her appointment violated federal law. The court found that Chattah was "not validly serving" as acting U.S. Attorney because her appointment did not comply with the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and related statutes intended to regulate such positions. This decision follows challenges by Nevada federal public defenders and is part of a broader judicial pushback against the Trump administration's use of unconventional appointment methods to maintain control over top prosecutorial offices. The ruling disqualifies Chattah and any attorneys under her supervision from involvement in the cases but does not dismiss the indictments. The judge emphasized that Congress did not intend for the executive branch to extend control over prosecutorial offices through manipulative personnel moves. This case is the second recent judicial rejection of a similar Trump administration appointment strategy, following a comparable ruling in New Jersey regarding another Trump appointee.