Summary
- Trump extended Sigal Chattah's interim term in Nevada.
- The move blocks the court from rejecting her permanent role.
- Over 100 retired judges oppose her confirmation.
- Criticized for racial remarks and bias.
- Extension under Vacancies Reform Act, no Senate vote.
The interim position has been held since April by Chattah, a former Republican National Committeewoman who was born in Israel.
Since Trump has not yet nominated a U.S. Attorney, the federal court in Nevada would be able to choose a candidate after her term's 120-day limit expires on Tuesday.
According to a department spokesman, Chattah was appointed Acting U.S. Attorney for Nevada by the department under the federal Vacancies Reform Act.
Chattah announced her new role on X on Tuesday, adding
"Rinse and repeat: The law is the ONLY thing that makes ALL people equal."
Two of Trump's other U.S. Attorney choices have been denied by federal judges thus far: Alina Habba, Trump's former personal attorney in New Jersey, and John Sarcone in the Northern District of New York.
The Justice Department employed a number of different legal strategies to maintain them in place in both of those cases.
Attorney General Pam Bondi blocked the federal court's decision in Habba's case by dismissing Desiree Grace, Habba's first assistant, who had been selected by the courts to be the state's top federal prosecutor.
Defendants in at least one case have requested that their charges be dropped on the grounds that Habba's appointment was illegal, and the move in New Jersey has added some doubt to federal criminal cases there.
More than 100 retired federal and state judges this week urged the federal court in Nevada not to permanently appoint Chattah, citing her history of racially charged comments and her "extreme partisan bias," according to a letter seen by Reuters.
"Chattah has frequently used violence-tinged language suggesting that her political opponent should be hanging from a crane, that protesters should be shot, and that people should 'buy ammo' in response to their grievances,"
wrote the 116 retired judges in a Monday letter to Andrew Gordon, the chief federal judge in Nevada.
The letter listed examples including Chattah referring to former Democratic U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman as an "antisemitic ghetto rat" and calling Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis "so ghetto" and asking:
"Why do we have lawyers like this who litigate in Ebonics?"
In the past, she has also implied that some Democratic Jewish members of the US Congress are comparable to contemporary Nazi accomplices.
Regarding the letter criticizing Chattah, a Justice Department official did not immediately respond.
What is the significance of Trump extending Chattah’s role in Nevada?
The significance of President Trump extending Sigal Chattah’s role as Nevada’s Interim U.S. Attorney lies in his attempt to prevent a federal court from appointing a replacement and rejecting her permanent appointment amid rising opposition.
Chattah's initial 120-day interim term was set to expire, and without formal nomination and Senate confirmation, the federal court could have stepped in to name a U.S. Attorney for Nevada. By designating her as "acting" U.S. Attorney under the federal Vacancies Reform Act, Trump extends her tenure up to 210 days beyond the interim period.
This move is particularly notable because over 100 retired federal and state judges have urged the court not to confirm Chattah permanently.