Albany Federal Judge Quashes Subpoenas in Investigation into New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Disqualifying Trump-Picked Prosecutor
A federal judge has dealt another blow to the Trump administration's attempts to scrutinize New York State Attorney General Letitia James by blocking a top prosecutor from investigating her. U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield ruled that John Sarcone, who serves as acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York, acted unlawfully in his position and cannot participate in any further investigations.
Schofield found that Sarcone's appointment bypassed statutory requirements, which govern who may exercise the powers of a U.S. attorney. This means the subpoenas seeking records from James' office were quashed, and Sarcone is disqualified from participating in any future investigations.
The decision marks another setback for the Trump administration's efforts to investigate James, a Democrat who successfully brought charges against President Donald Trump and his businesses. In June last year, James used a similar argument to dismiss mortgage fraud charges brought by federal prosecutors in Virginia after determining that Lindsey Halligan wasn't properly installed as interim U.S. attorney.
The ruling has been welcomed by James' office, with a spokesperson saying it's an "important win for the rule of law." The decision comes after Sarcone personally requested the subpoenas from James' office in August and had argued that he possessed the legal authority to seek them as a "special attorney."
However, Schofield rejected this argument, stating that federal law does not permit such a workaround. This means that Sarcone's actions were deemed unlawful, and his investigation into James is effectively over.
The dispute has been fueled by partisan tensions, with Republicans accusing James of running a witch hunt against Trump and the president calling for "accountability" for perceived critics like her. James, who previously investigated Trump during his 2018 campaign, maintained that she acted based on evidence in her cases, including one that fined Trump over $350 million.
The ruling is another example of judges across the country clamping down on what they see as unorthodox appointments to key positions by the Trump administration.
A federal judge has dealt another blow to the Trump administration's attempts to scrutinize New York State Attorney General Letitia James by blocking a top prosecutor from investigating her. U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield ruled that John Sarcone, who serves as acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York, acted unlawfully in his position and cannot participate in any further investigations.
Schofield found that Sarcone's appointment bypassed statutory requirements, which govern who may exercise the powers of a U.S. attorney. This means the subpoenas seeking records from James' office were quashed, and Sarcone is disqualified from participating in any future investigations.
The decision marks another setback for the Trump administration's efforts to investigate James, a Democrat who successfully brought charges against President Donald Trump and his businesses. In June last year, James used a similar argument to dismiss mortgage fraud charges brought by federal prosecutors in Virginia after determining that Lindsey Halligan wasn't properly installed as interim U.S. attorney.
The ruling has been welcomed by James' office, with a spokesperson saying it's an "important win for the rule of law." The decision comes after Sarcone personally requested the subpoenas from James' office in August and had argued that he possessed the legal authority to seek them as a "special attorney."
However, Schofield rejected this argument, stating that federal law does not permit such a workaround. This means that Sarcone's actions were deemed unlawful, and his investigation into James is effectively over.
The dispute has been fueled by partisan tensions, with Republicans accusing James of running a witch hunt against Trump and the president calling for "accountability" for perceived critics like her. James, who previously investigated Trump during his 2018 campaign, maintained that she acted based on evidence in her cases, including one that fined Trump over $350 million.
The ruling is another example of judges across the country clamping down on what they see as unorthodox appointments to key positions by the Trump administration.
I'm not surprised at all about this decision... it's been a long time coming and I'm glad that someone with some power is finally holding those Trump-picked prosecutors accountable 
. The whole thing just feels like a typical example of how the system can be manipulated for political gain, you know? And now we're seeing more judges stepping in to protect the rule of law and prevent this kind of abuse from happening again 
. It's also interesting that there are Republicans calling out AG James as if she's some kind of witch hunter, but I think what they should really be concerned about is how Trump's people are trying to undermine accountability 
... it's not about being partisan, it's about protecting democracy 
.
... so the Trump admin tries to appoint a special attorney with no statutory requirements and the judge is all "hold up, that's not how it works" 
! I mean, can't they just follow the rules for once? 
It's like they're trying to make a mockery of the justice system. And poor John Sarcone, he gets disqualified from investigating AG James because his appointment was a bit... creative 
. Anyway, it's an important win for the rule of law, but let's be real, this is just another example of the Trump admin playing dirty games 
!
... a judge just quashed some subpoenas sent by Letitia James, which is basically saying that John Sarcone's whole investigation into her was invalid 
. I mean, can't you just follow the rules for once? Apparently not under the Trump admin 
. And now James' office is celebrating like it won something 
... meanwhile, Sarcone's just stuck with a big fat "can't do it" stamp on his forehead 
. This whole thing feels like more politics than actual law 
.
this is getting out of hand!! like can't a president even get their pick of prosecutor without some judge jumping all over them? i mean sarcone was acting just fine under the law, but noooo judge schofield had to go and quash those subpoenas and basically tell sarcone that what he did was wrong... 
like come on! it's not like james is above the law or anything. she's a public official, so yeah she's got to deal with some scrutiny too. but this? it just feels like another example of politicization by judges who are more interested in sticking it to trump than actually upholding the law... 
. Like, I get it, politics can be super heated and all that, but when it comes to the rule of law, we gotta keep it real, you know? 
. If Trump's admin can't handle a little scrutiny from the other side of the aisle then that's their problem 
.
. I mean, it's crazy that someone tried to just bypass all these statutory requirements and think they could do whatever they wanted 
. It's not cool when people try to use loopholes to get ahead or intimidate others.
. It's not just about one person or position; it's about creating a culture where everyone feels safe sharing info and holding leaders accountable 
. Let's keep pushing for that! 
. but hey, at least the judge is standin' up for the rule of law 
... even if it's a bit late to the party 
.
i'm not saying Letitia James is innocent or anything, but come on, can't we have a civil discussion about this stuff? 
I'm not surprised that the Trump admin is trying to stonewall investigations into Letitia James - they've been known for their... creative approaches to accountability. 
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. It's good that the judge saw through his attempt to bypass statutory requirements, though. Now we can breathe a sigh of relief that the investigation into Letitia James is officially over 
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