On Monday, September 22, 2025, Lindsey Halligan, a former defense lawyer for President Donald Trump and one of his closest White House aides, was sworn in as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Her sudden ascent to this high-profile federal post—despite never having worked as a prosecutor—has set off a firestorm of debate, with critics and supporters alike weighing in on what it means for the future of the Justice Department and the rule of law in America.
Halligan’s appointment comes in the wake of the forced resignation of Erik Siebert, the previous top prosecutor for the district. According to CBS News and Democracy Docket, Siebert was pushed out after President Trump expressed frustration over Siebert’s refusal to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged mortgage fraud. The White House had been pressuring Siebert to bring charges against James, one of Trump’s most vocal political opponents, even though a five-month investigation had not produced enough evidence to warrant an indictment. According to sources cited by CBS News, Siebert’s nomination for the permanent post had stalled in the Senate, in part because he had the support of Virginia’s two Democratic senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.
President Trump, not one to hide his displeasure, took to social media to announce Siebert’s ouster and Halligan’s appointment. He wrote, “She is fair, smart and will provide desperately needed, JUSTICE FOR ALL!” and further praised her as “extremely intelligent, fearless and, working with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, has the strength and determination to be absolutely OUTSTANDING in this new and very important role.” Trump also claimed credit for firing Siebert, saying, “He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so.”
Halligan, a graduate of the University of Miami Law School in 2013 and a member of the Florida Bar since 2014, has never held a prosecutorial post. Her legal background is in insurance law, and while her resume includes an internship at the Miami Public Defender’s Office and the Innocence Project, she has never prosecuted a case. Her profile rose sharply after joining Trump’s defense team during the FBI’s 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago, where investigators discovered roughly 300 classified documents. Trump was later charged with 40 federal counts related to the mishandling of those documents, but Halligan’s work on his defense team earned her a spot in Trump’s inner circle.
Halligan’s influence extended beyond the courtroom. As a special assistant to the president in his second term, she led efforts to remove what the White House called “improper ideology” from the Smithsonian Institution, its museums, and the National Zoo. In a letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, Halligan wrote that the White House would conduct an internal review “to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.” She echoed these sentiments in a Fox News interview, stating, “We should be able to take our kids, our students, through the Smithsonian and feel proud when we leave. There’s a lot of history to our country—both positive and negative—but we need to keep moving forward; we can’t just keep focusing on the negative. All it does is divide us.”
The Eastern District of Virginia, often called the “rocket docket” for its rapid case processing, is a crucial jurisdiction for national security investigations due to its proximity to Washington, D.C. It has handled major cases involving espionage, terrorism, and political corruption. Now, with Halligan at the helm, the office is expected to play a central role in investigations that President Trump has publicly demanded—most notably, probes into Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, as well as Senator Adam Schiff. Siebert was overseeing an investigation into whether Comey lied under oath before Congress, another case Trump has repeatedly referenced in calls for retribution against his political adversaries.
The process that led to Halligan’s appointment has not been without confusion or controversy. Over the weekend prior to her swearing-in, Mary “Maggie” Cleary, a conservative lawyer who has claimed she was falsely accused of participating in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, was named acting U.S. attorney for the district. For a brief period, both Cleary’s and Siebert’s names appeared on separate court filings, leaving some uncertainty about who was actually in charge. According to CBS News, Cleary’s appointment was a stopgap until Halligan could officially take over.
Federal law allows Halligan to serve as interim U.S. attorney for only 120 days, unless her appointment is extended by the region’s federal judges or she is confirmed by the Senate. Given the lack of support from Virginia’s Democratic senators, it seems unlikely that Halligan’s nomination for a permanent post will advance easily. Some legal experts have raised concerns that the administration may attempt to circumvent the 120-day limit by rotating titles among loyalists, as has reportedly happened with other politically appointed U.S. attorneys.
The response from the legal community has been swift and, in many quarters, deeply critical. John McKay, a former U.S. attorney under President George W. Bush, told Democracy Docket, “Trump wants to skip constitutional safeguards in order to carry out retribution. That is unconstitutional. That is unlawful. Everyone should be speaking up about it, especially including the public in nonviolent ways.” McKay, who himself was ousted for political reasons during the Bush administration, warned, “They’re saying, ‘We are doing it for political reasons. That is unlawful. That is unethical. It violates due process. And we have to speak out against it.’”
Stacey Young, executive director of Justice Connection, echoed these fears: “I don’t think Siebert will be the last one to be fired. I don’t think this seemingly unqualified nominee is going to be the last unqualified nominee we’ll see. And I’m worried about how far this is going to go.”
The Society for the Rule of Law Institute, a center-right legal group, issued a statement condemning what it described as the “ongoing corruption of the Justice Department by a White House intent on using federal resources—not to defend the Constitution and the Rule of Law—but to persecute political critics and reward presidential sycophants.”
On the other side of the debate, President Trump and his supporters insist that Halligan’s appointment is about restoring justice and rooting out ideological bias. Trump has repeatedly argued that his administration is simply seeking accountability for what he sees as politically motivated attacks on his presidency, including the impeachments and multiple indictments he has faced. “They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!) OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
As Halligan assumes leadership of the Eastern District of Virginia, the nation is left watching to see whether her tenure will mark a new era of politicized prosecutions or a return to what her supporters call “justice for all.” The stakes, as both sides agree, could hardly be higher for the independence of the Justice Department and the future of American democracy.
