Longtime Virginia Lawyer Chosen by Judges as U.S. Attorney, and Then Fired
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- James W. Hundley was appointed by the federal bench in the Eastern District of Virginia as interim U.S. attorney after the previous Trump-appointed official resigned due to an unlawful appointment ruling.
- Just two hours after his appointment, Hundley was abruptly fired via a social media post by Todd Blanche, the Justice Department's No. 2 official.
- Blanche, who previously served as a defense lawyer for the president, asserted that only the president can appoint U.S. attorneys, dismissing the judges' authority to make interim appointments.
- Federal judges have recently been appointing interim U.S. attorneys after ruling that several Trump-era appointments violated legal and constitutional norms.
- This incident mirrors a similar case last week where Blanche fired Donald
