Federal judge rules Bill Essayli unlawfully serving as top Los Angeles-area federal prosecutor
Photo: The Guardian USA federal judge ruled Tuesday that Bill Essayli is unlawfully serving as the top federal prosecutor in Southern California, disqualifying him from overseeing two criminal prosecutions. U.S. District Judge Michael Seabright found Essayli unlawful in the role even with the "special attorney" and "first assistant" designations the Trump administration gave him. The disqualification will not take effect immediately, and the Justice Department has said it intends to appeal, with time to seek a stay. Essayli, a former Republican state lawmaker, became interim U.S. attorney in April without a formal presidential nomination or Senate confirmation. After his interim term ended last July, the administration named him acting U.S. attorney, then kept him as first assistant after an earlier ruling that he was serving unlawfully. Seabright cited an August appeals court ruling against a Nevada Justice Department leader in a similar case. Essayli said he respectfully disagrees, that the president and attorney general may select supervisors, and that the Supreme Court will decide the question.
The Guardian US, on the left, frames the ruling as part of a long-running legal fight over the administration's maneuvers to keep an unconfirmed Trump ally in office. It traces each title change in detail and notes the DoJ's plan to appeal. It does not feature Essayli's response in the opening. Right-leaning outlets report the same core facts and chronology. Just the News, which relies on the Guardian's reporting, opens with Essayli's statement and his argument about executive authority. Fox News calls him a "de facto" U.S. attorney and quotes his Supreme Court prediction. It also opens with his defense of the Justice Department's effort to set aside ballots tied to roughly 20,000 suspected noncitizens, a topic absent from the other two articles. Alternative and independent outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left- and right-leaning outlets had.
How the sides differ Left sources stress the administration's maneuvers to keep Essayli in office; right sources lead with his statement of disagreement, and Fox adds his ballot dispute.
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The Guardian US reports the ruling as the latest step in a long legal fight over the administration's efforts to keep Essayli in office without Senate confirmation. It lays out the sequence of titles and the DoJ's appeal plan.
Just the News and Fox News report the ruling and chronology but foreground Essayli's statement that the president and attorney general can select supervisors. Fox adds his comments on the Supreme Court and a separate noncitizen-ballot dispute.