Judges lash out at Justice Department for still listing Lindsey Halligan on court documents

Source: CNN Politics

PUBLISHED Dec 5, 2025, 4:00 AM ET


Federal judges in Alexandria, Virginia, have lashed out at the Justice Department as they continue to list Lindsey Halligan on court documents — some going as far as striking her name from paperwork from the bench.

Two magistrate judges and a district court judge in Alexandria, Virginia, told prosecutors in open court they didn’t believe Halligan’s name should be on new criminal case filings, such as guilty plea documents and indictments, after a decision in the district last week said she is not the US Attorney.

One of those judges, Magistrate William Fitzpatrick, said at a criminal case hearing Tuesday that filing criminal charging papers “under Ms. Halligan’s name” at this time “is simply not acceptable,” according to a transcript obtained by CNN.

Both Fitzpatrick and another judge in the district, Michael Nachmanoff, told prosecutors this week they believed the ruling was clear that Halligan wasn’t the US attorney for all cases. They both noted, in separate hearings this week, according to court transcripts, that the Justice Department hadn’t appealed the ruling about Halligan, nor asked any court to pause it for a possible appeal. “The law in this district right now is that she is not and has not been the United States Attorney,” Fitzpatrick said on Tuesday.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/05/politics/judges-express-frustration-lindsey-halligan-listed-court-documents