United States v. James — Misusing Federal Law Enforcement (VA)
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
In This Resource
On Sept. 20, 2025, President Trump posted a message to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on social media in which he pressured her to bring charges against his political opponents, including New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump began publicly criticizing James after she brought a successful state civil fraud case against him and others at the Trump Organization.
The same day the president posted on social media, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia resigned. Reports indicate that despite growing pressure from the administration to prosecute James, his office had informed senior Justice Department officials that there was not enough evidence to bring charges. Two days after his resignation, Bondi appointed Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide and one of Trump’s former personal lawyers, to serve as the interim U.S. attorney.
On Oct. 9, Halligan charged James with two counts of mortgage fraud. (Later reports indicated that prosecutors found evidence that undercut the charges.)
On Oct. 24, James pleaded not guilty to the charges. Soon after, her lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the prosecution was “vindictive” and motivated by Trump’s personal hostility towards James based on the state fraud case.
On Nov. 14, an ideologically diverse group of more than a dozen leading democracy scholars and experts represented by States United and Trey Kelleter filed an amicus brief in support of James’s motion to dismiss the case. The group argues that the political motivations behind the prosecution threaten the rule of law. They urged the court to dismiss the case “to protect the integrity of the judicial system.”
The brief points out similarities between the politically motivated prosecutions brought by the Justice Department under the Trump administration and similar tactics used in autocracies or backsliding democracies in other nations.
“[R]ising autocratic leaders interfere with the independence of prosecutors’ offices to consolidate power, weaken political opposition, stifle dissent, and exact retribution on the perceived enemies of those in power,” they write.
Once briefing is finished, the court will either hold a hearing on the motion to dismiss or rule on the motion without a hearing.
- Amicus brief (filed Nov. 14, 2025)
- Attorney General James’s second motion to dismiss (filed Nov. 7. 2025)
- Indictment (filed Oct. 9, 2025)
- Politico: New warning signs emerge for Lindsey Halligan’s effort to prosecute Trump’s foes (Nov. 1, 2025)
- ABC News: Evidence appears to undercut claims against Letitia James, prosecutors found: Sources (Oct. 23, 2025)
- Axios: Letitia James responds to indictment: “I am not fearful, I am fearless” (Oct. 9, 2025)
- City & State New York: Letitia James indicted by federal grand jury in Virginia (Oct. 9, 2025)