9th Circuit blocks Trump plan to bypass Senate in U.S. Attorney appointments

The Ninth Circuit unanimously blocked the Trump DOJ’s attempt to install acting U.S. attorneys by designating a first assistant after vacancies, ruling that automatic succession only applies when the first assistant held the role at the vacancy’s start. The decision undermines efforts to bypass Senate confirmation and push loyalists into blue-state offices, part of broader White House–DOJ tactics that could widen politically charged investigations. The memo also notes a new White House–overseen National Fraud Enforcement Division, a potential Tina Peters role in Shasta County elections, a Ninth Circuit subpoena related to transgender care, the Supreme Court’s defeat of Trump in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case, and a pause in Big Bend construction amid GOP opposition.