In a rapid turn of events, longtime Virginia litigator James Hundley was dismissed by the Justice Department just hours after federal judges unanimously appointed him interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Hundley had been set to succeed Trump loyalist Lindsey Halligan. On Friday evening, Chief U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck signed off on his appointment and administered the oath of office in Richmond, Virginia, according to court documents. It appeared to be a routine transition after Halligan’s departure in late January.
Then things shifted quickly.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X shortly after the swearing in, announcing that Hundley had been dismissed. “Here we go again. EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you’re fired!” Blanche said in the post.
Federal law allows judges to appoint a U.S. attorney if a presidential nominee has not been confirmed within 120 days of their appointment. That provision is what enabled the judges to act in this case.
Halligan, who previously served as an insurance attorney and had no prosecutorial experience, left the role after a federal judge ruled that she had been serving unlawfully. During her time in office, she led unsuccessful cases against New York Attorney General Leticia James and former FBI Director James Comey, both widely viewed as Trump adversaries.
This is not the first time the Justice Department has fired a U.S. attorney appointed by federal judges. In July, Attorney General Pam Bondi fired Desiree Leigh Grace after she was appointed U.S. attorney for New Jersey. Grace had been set to succeed Alina Habba, a former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump who was serving as interim U.S. attorney.
Just last week, another New York prosecutor was dismissed the same day he was appointed by federal judges to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York. Veteran attorney Donald Kinsella was reportedly fired after receiving an email from the White House stating that the “president directed that I be removed.”
In both of those cases, judges stepped in after courts ruled that Trump appointed interim U.S. attorneys were serving unlawfully.
Hundley brings more than 30 years of experience litigating complex criminal and civil cases in state and federal courts across Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maryland. He has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court and has served as a Council Member at Large for the Virginia State Bar, appointed by the Virginia Supreme Court.