A federal judge has done what too many in Washington refuse to do: enforce the law instead of bowing to political theater. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie dismissed the criminal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James after finding that the prosecutor who brought the charges, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed; the dismissals were entered without prejudice, meaning the government could theoretically try again.

The legal defect at the heart of the rulings is straightforward but damning: federal law limits an attorney general’s power to name an interim U.S. attorney for only 120 days, after which the district court has the authority to fill the vacancy. Judge Currie found that Halligan’s appointment violated that framework, so anything she did — including presenting indictments — lacked lawful authority. This is a reminder that constitutional guardrails exist for a reason.

A crucial fact that should make every fair-minded American uneasy is how Halligan arrived in that job: she was installed after the previous U.S. attorney, Erik Siebert, was pushed out amid pressure to bring politically charged prosecutions. Halligan, a former personal lawyer to President Trump with no prior prosecutorial experience, signed the indictments accusing Comey of obstruction and false statements and accusing James of mortgage and financial fraud. The appearance of raw politics driving indictments is corrosive to public trust in justice.

Let’s be clear about what this ruling means for ordinary citizens: courts are still capable of blocking blatantly improper power plays, even when those plays wear the cloak of law enforcement. Conservatives should celebrate that basic legal limits were enforced, while remaining vigilant—this outcome doesn’t absolve anyone who sought to weaponize the DOJ for partisan ends. The American people deserve prosecutors who follow the law, not political appointees who act as attack dogs.

That said, the judge stopped short of the strongest remedy. By dismissing the indictments without prejudice, Judge Currie left the door open for the Justice Department to refile under a properly appointed prosecutor, and the administration has already signaled it will appeal. Americans should demand answers about why the proper procedures were ignored in the first place and why politically sensitive investigations were entrusted to an interim appointee with obvious conflicts.

Now is the time for accountability, not spin. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s role in swearing in Halligan must be scrutinized, and Congress should investigate the sequence of events that produced this mess. If we love the rule of law, we must insist that those who try to bend the Justice Department into a political cudgel be exposed and prevented from doing it again.

This decision should comfort patriots who still believe in checks and balances: judges can and will stop lawless shortcuts, even in the heat of political warfare. But don’t mistake the victory for the end of the fight — it’s a warning shot to the swamp that America’s legal traditions are not optional. Hardworking citizens deserve a Department of Justice that prosecutes crimes, not political rivals.