Court backs ruling against acting Nevada prosecutor

A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling disqualifying Sigal Chattah from serving as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada, finding that the Justice Department's appointment method violated federal law. The unanimous decision by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, August 17, 2026, affirmed a lower court's order that Chattah was unlawfully holding the position and barred her from supervising prosecutions in three criminal cases.

The ruling centers on how the Trump administration sought to keep Chattah in charge after her initial interim appointment expired. Chattah was named interim U.S. Attorney for Nevada effective April 1, 2025, for a statutory term of up to 120 days. As that term was set to expire on July 30, 2025, she resigned from the interim role on July 28, 2025. The same day, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi designated Chattah as first assistant U.S. attorney and appointed her a special attorney. The Justice Department argued these moves allowed her to continue serving as acting U.S. Attorney under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998.

A three-judge panel rejected that argument. Writing for the court, Judge Eric Miller, an appointee of...