Judge rules US Attorney Bill Essayli 'unlawfully serving'

A federal judge has ruled that Bill Assele, by the way, the top federal prosecutor in Southern California, well, that federal judge has ruled in his position he's there unlawfully and has actually disqualified him from overseeing the prosecution in two criminal cases. At issue here is how Assele came to his job. He was initially given the post of first assistant U.S. attorney under an appointment that expired after 120 days. At the end of that term, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed him as special attorney and named him to the post permanently. Yesterday, the judge ruled that appointment was unlawful because Asseli was never formally nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate. This disqualification does not take effect immediately, giving the Justice Department time to get a stay during the appeals process. Asseli put out a brief statement saying, we respectfully disagree with the court's order, And the question will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. He says he looks forward to serving in his current role until then.