Federal judge dismisses indictments against James Comey and Letitia James, ruling Lindsey Halligan appointment unlawful

On Nov. 24, 2025, U.S. District Judge ruled that indictments against James Comey and Letitia James must be dismissed because Special Counsel Lindsey Halligan's appointment violated federal law. The judge found Attorney General Pam Bondi lacked authority to appoint Halligan to prosecute alleged crimes that occurred before Bondi became Attorney General. The ruling said appointing a prosecutor to investigate past events involving the current administration's political enemies creates an improper conflict of interest.

Trump indicted James Comey in Jan. 2025 for allegedly leaking classified information during his tenure as FBI director from 2013-2017. The indictment claimed Comey improperly shared details about Trump's connections to Russia with reporters after Trump fired him in May 2017. Comey has maintained he only disclosed unclassified information and acted within his authority to protect the FBI's independence. The indictment came after years of Trump publicly calling for Comey's prosecution.

Trump also indicted Letitia James in Jan. 2025 for allegedly abusing her authority as 🗽New York Attorney General by investigating Trump Organization finances. The indictment claimed James exceeded her state powers and violated federal law by targeting Trump for political reasons. James' office had sued the Trump Organization in Sep. 2022 for fraudulent financial practices, resulting in a $464 million civil judgment against Trump in Feb. 2024. Trump has repeatedly threatened to prosecute James for investigating him.

Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Lindsey Halligan as Special Counsel in Jan. 2025 to prosecute both cases. Halligan is a 🌴Florida attorney who previously worked for Trump's legal team during his first impeachment trial and represented him in various civil cases. Critics immediately challenged Halligan's appointment, arguing her lack of experience, conflicts of interest, and Bondi's lack of authority to appoint a prosecutor for pre-administration events made the appointment unlawful.

The federal judge's Nov. 24, 2025, ruling found that federal law governing special counsel appointments requires the Attorney General to establish conflicts of interest within the current Justice Department that necessitate an outside prosecutor. The judge ruled Bondi couldn't claim such conflicts for alleged crimes that occurred years before she took office and involved the current president's political enemies. The ruling said allowing this would enable any administration to retroactively prosecute its critics.

The dismissal deals a major blow to Trump's campaign to prosecute critics and political opponents. Since taking office in Jan. 2025, Trump has publicly threatened or initiated investigations into numerous individuals who investigated him or opposed his policies, including Special Counsel Jack Smith, various FBI officials, members of the Jan. 6th Committee, and Democratic lawmakers. The Comey and James prosecutions were the highest-profile cases.

James Comey responded to the dismissal on Nov. 24, saying This was always a politically motivated prosecution designed to punish me for doing my job and protecting the FBI's independence. The rule of law survived this attack, but the threat to our justice system continues. Comey has remained a vocal Trump critic since his 2017 firing and published a book detailing Trump's attempts to influence FBI investigations.

Letitia James issued a statement saying Justice prevailed today, but we must remain vigilant against attempts to weaponize the federal justice system against state law enforcement. 🗽New York will continue holding powerful people accountable regardless of political retaliation. James is currently appealing Trump's attempts to block enforcement of the $464 million civil judgment against the Trump Organization. Attorney General Bondi hasn't commented on whether she'll appeal the dismissals.