Federal court in Alexandria seeks applicants for U.S. attorney
Lindsey Halligan's 120-day appointment expired on Tuesday; the Senate has not confirmed her nomination
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is accepting applications for a U.S. attorney after Lindsey Halligan’s 120-day appointment expired on Tuesday.
Chief Judge M. Hannah Lauck signed an order directing the clerk of court to publish a vacancy announcement on the court’s website and in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Washington Post, The Virginian-Pilot, and Virginia Lawyers Weekly. The district’s federal bar will also be notified through the court’s electronic case management system.
Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Halligan as interim U.S. attorney on Sept. 22, 2025. Under federal law, such appointments are limited to 120 days unless the Senate confirms the nominee. That period ended Jan. 20, 2026.
President Donald Trump nominated Halligan for a second time on Jan. 13 to serve as U.S. attorney, but the Senate has not confirmed her.
Under 28 U.S.C. § 546(d), when an attorney general’s appointment expires, the district court “may appoint a United States attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled.”
Halligan’s tenure was marked by controversy. Days after taking office, she secured indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James — both prominent critics of Trump. In November, U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie dismissed both indictments, ruling that Halligan had been unlawfully appointed because the attorney general’s appointment authority had already expired before Halligan took the post. The Justice Department has appealed.
Halligan’s predecessor, Erik Siebert, departed in September after the Trump administration reportedly pressured him to bring cases against Comey and James. Career prosecutors had found insufficient evidence to charge them.
The Eastern District of Virginia consists of four divisions: Alexandria, Newport News, Norfolk, and Richmond.
Those interested in serving must submit a confidential expression of interest to the clerk of court by Feb. 10. As of Tuesday morning, the application link on the court’s website returned a “page not found” error.