Appeals Court Upholds Disqualification of Nevada's Federal Prosecutor Sigal Chattah

A federal appeals court panel upheld an order disqualifying Sigal Chattah from her position as the top federal prosecutor in Nevada. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court's ruling that Chattah was not validly leading the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada due to improper appointment mechanisms used by the Justice Department after her interim term ended. This ruling affects her ability to supervise prosecutions in three criminal cases. Chattah was appointed as interim U.S. attorney on April 1, 2025, for a term of up to 120 days. As her term was ending, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi designated her as first assistant U.S. attorney, which the Justice Department argued allowed her to serve as acting U.S. attorney under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. However, the appeals court found that this designation did not comply with the law, stating that a first assistant could only become acting U.S. attorney if they held that position when the vacancy occurred. The panel rejected the Justice Department's arguments regarding Chattah's authority, marking another setback for the administration's efforts to maintain temporary appointees in such roles without Senate confirmation.