❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge appointed by Barack Obama has disqualified a prosecutor from overseeing investigations into New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield, federal prosecutor John Sarcone, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Letitia James.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was made in January 2026 in the Northern District of New York.
🎯IMPACT: Subpoenas related to James’s high-profile lawfare suits against President Donald J. Trump’s business and the National Rifle Association (NRA) were invalidated, and Sarcone was barred from further involvement.
A federal court has removed a senior federal prosecutor from overseeing inquiries tied to Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James, concluding that his continued role violated federal appointment laws and rendered his actions invalid. U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield, originally appointed by Barack Obama, ruled that John Sarcone could not lawfully continue serving as acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York after his 120-day interim term expired.
Federal law requires that district judges decide whether an interim prosecutor may remain in office. In this case, judges declined to extend Sarcone’s tenure. The ruling claimed that the Justice Department (DOJ), led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, improperly attempted to preserve Sarcone’s authority by redesignating him as a “special attorney” and first assistant after his term lapsed. Judge Schofield said the move amounted to an unlawful attempt to bypass statutory limits on prosecutorial appointments.
Because Sarcone lacked legal authority, the court invalidated the subpoenas he issued and barred him from further participating in the investigations. Those subpoenas sought information related to James’ office and its prior litigation.
Sarcone worked on President Donald J. Trump’s 2016 campaign legal team and later served as a regional administrator at the General Services Administration during Trump’s first term. James’s office has argued that Sarcone’s involvement reflected a politically driven effort to retaliate against her for pursuing high-profile cases against Trump and conservative-aligned organizations.
James has built a national profile through aggressive legal actions, including a civil fraud case against Trump’s business empire and litigation against the pro-Second Amendment National Rifle Association (NRA).
James recently claimed a legal victory over the Department of Homeland Security, and another over the Department of Justice when a grand jury declined to re-indict her for mortgage fraud.
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