November 24, 2025 · Constitutional Order & Rule of Law
· news
Confirmed
Judge Dismisses Comey and James Cases, Citing Unlawful Prosecutor Appointment and Errors
On November 24, 2025, a federal judge dismissed the criminal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James after ruling that Lindsey Halligan, the Trump-appointed prosecutor who brought the cases, had been unlawfully appointed. Judge Cameron McGowan Currie found Halligan's tenure exceeded the 120-day limit allowed for an interim U.S. attorney without Senate confirmation.
Court proceedings also revealed substantive errors in how Halligan handled the Comey case, including incorrectly telling grand jurors that Comey lacked a Fifth Amendment right not to testify at trial, and failing to present the final indictment actually used to charge him to the grand jury for a vote. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department would appeal the dismissal.
The rulings capped a prosecution that critics had called retaliatory from the outset, following Trump's public pressure on the DOJ to charge Comey, James and Senator Adam Schiff. The dismissal represented a significant setback for the administration's effort to pursue criminal cases against prominent political adversaries.
Court proceedings also revealed substantive errors in how Halligan handled the Comey case, including incorrectly telling grand jurors that Comey lacked a Fifth Amendment right not to testify at trial, and failing to present the final indictment actually used to charge him to the grand jury for a vote. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department would appeal the dismissal.
The rulings capped a prosecution that critics had called retaliatory from the outset, following Trump's public pressure on the DOJ to charge Comey, James and Senator Adam Schiff. The dismissal represented a significant setback for the administration's effort to pursue criminal cases against prominent political adversaries.