Court-appointed U.S. attorney Donald Kinsella fired hours after appointment

Date

Feb 11, 2026

Kind

Prosecutor

Legal outcome

Unchallenged

Source

cbsnews.com ↗

Agency or court

N.D.N.Y.

What happened

The district's board of judges appointed Kinsella under 28 U.S.C. 546(d) after a court found acting U.S. attorney John Sarcone was serving unlawfully. Late the same day Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted "You are fired, Donald Kinsella," writing that "Judges don't pick U.S. Attorneys" the president does. No lawsuit by Kinsella had been reported.

Publisher

CBS News