Department of Justice Fires New U.S. Attorney Hours After Oath, Reigniting Trump-Judiciary Battle

The Department of Justice made a stunning move Friday, firing James Hundley hours after he was sworn in as the new U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Hundley, a seasoned litigator with over 35 years of experience, had just taken the oath when Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche unleashed a scathing social media post. He republished a CBS report about Hundley's appointment and declared, 'Here we go again. [Eastern District of Virginia] judges do not pick our U.S. Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you're fired!' This abrupt termination reignited a high-stakes battle between the judiciary and the Trump administration.

The fallout traces back to Lindsey Halligan, Trump's former personal lawyer, who was appointed to a 120-day interim term by Attorney General Pam Bondi in 2024. Trump had pressured Bondi to install Halligan, hoping she would target political opponents like former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. But Judge Cameron McGowan Currie immediately raised concerns, ruling Halligan's appointment was unlawful. He noted that the attorney general was only allowed one 120-day appointment per office, which had already been used on Halligan's predecessor, Erik Siebert. Siebert had been fired by Trump for declining to prosecute Comey and James.

Currie's ruling invalidated Halligan's cases and forced the Trump administration to either nominate a permanent, Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney or allow the judiciary to appoint an interim replacement. When Halligan left in January 2026, Trump failed to name a successor, prompting the court to step in. That's how Hundley, a Georgetown Law graduate with a stellar career in criminal and civil litigation, ended up being chosen by judges as the next interim U.S. Attorney.

Hundley's firing marks the second time the DOJ has removed a judge-appointed prosecutor. Last week, Donald Kinsella was dismissed by the White House as interim U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York. Kinsella had been selected by judges to replace John Sarcone III, another Trump ally deemed to be serving unlawfully. Both Hundley and Kinsella's appointments were legally sound, but the Trump administration's response has raised alarms about executive overreach.

The clash between the judiciary and the executive deepened Friday as the Supreme Court struck down Trump's sweeping global tariffs in a 6-3 decision. Chief Justice John Roberts, who had previously defended Trump's executive powers, wrote the majority opinion, ruling that the president had no authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs. Trump raged on Truth Social, accusing justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett of betraying him. 'They vote against the Republicans, and never against themselves,' he wrote, a claim that echoes his long-standing grievances with the court.

The tariffs, which Trump had justified under two national emergencies—illegal immigration and trade deficits—were deemed unlawful by the court. Roberts emphasized that IEEPA grants the president power to 'regulate importation' but says nothing about tariffs or duties. Trump responded by signing a new 10% global tariff under a different law, but the measure can only last 150 days without congressional approval. This back-and-forth underscores the growing instability in Trump's foreign policy, which critics say is harming U.S. trade relationships and global standing.

Communities across the country face mounting uncertainty. Legal appointments, once a cornerstone of judicial independence, are now politicized tools in a broader power struggle. Meanwhile, the tariff debate threatens to deepen economic divides, with small businesses and consumers bearing the brunt of unpredictable trade policies. As Hundley's firing and the Supreme Court's ruling show, the Trump administration's approach is not just controversial—it's unraveling the very institutions designed to check its power.

The stakes are clear. If the judiciary continues to defy the executive, the balance of power in the U.S. government could shift irreversibly. For now, the Department of Justice's abrupt move against Hundley has only heightened tensions, leaving legal experts and citizens alike to wonder what comes next.