Judge Rules LA's Top Federal Prosecutor Bill Essayli Is Serving Unlawfully

Status: Ruling; order on hold for appeal. The order is stayed for five business days so the Justice Department can seek a stay pending appeal. The judge did not dismiss the two indictments.

The ruling

On Tuesday, Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright ruled that First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli is unlawfully serving as the "de facto" U.S. attorney for the Central District of California (LA Times; CBS LA).

• The finding: the judge concluded that the Justice Department had delegated powers so sweeping that Essayli in effect held the U.S. attorney's job (LA Times).
• The order: Seabright disqualified Essayli from overseeing two prosecutions, those of Jaime Hector Ramirez and Tu Anh Tran (CBS LA).
• The cases: Ramirez is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Tran is charged with possessing property stolen from an interstate or foreign shipment.
• What the judge didn't do: he declined to dismiss either indictment, and he put his order on hold for five business days so the government can seek a stay (CBS LA).

"In sum, Essayli is unlawfully serving as a 'de facto' United States Attorney, and is disqualified from participating in or supervising the prosecutions of Ramirez and Tran," Seabright wrote.

Essayli's and DOJ's position

Essayli was sworn in as interim head of the office in April 2025. After his interim term ran out, he kept leading it as first assistant U.S. attorney, an arrangement set up by Attorney General Pam Bondi (CBS LA).

"The President and the Attorney General have every right to select supervisors within the Justice Department," Essayli said. "Ultimately, this question will be decided by the Supreme Court, and I look forward to serving in my current role until then."

Seabright made a similar ruling last year, when Essayli was serving as acting U.S. attorney (CBS LA).

The bigger fight at the Supreme Court

The ruling follows appeals court decisions that found John Sarcone in Albany and Sigal Chattah in Nevada were unlawfully appointed. Earlier this month, the government appealed those cases to the Supreme Court (CBS LA).

Why it matters

• The district: Essayli's office says the Central District of California covers about 20 million people, making it the largest federal judicial district in the country.
• The question: how far a President and Attorney General can go in choosing who runs U.S. attorney's offices without Senate-confirmed nominees. The Supreme Court could settle that in the Sarcone and Chattah appeals.