A federal grand jury has declined to reindict New York Attorney General Letitia James after being asked for a second time to consider mortgage-fraud charges against her, CNN reported Thursday.
The decision comes just 10 days after a federal judge tossed out the initial indictment against James.
According to another source familiar with the matter, James is not in the clear yet. The Justice Department could attempt to bring the charges before a grand jury a third time, CNN noted.
A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on confidential grand jury proceedings, and the panel reportedly met until midday Thursday.
CNN reported that the Justice Department's rapid move to re-present the case highlights the intensity of its efforts to pursue James, a longtime political foe of former President Donald Trump and someone he has repeatedly said should face legal consequences.
The case against James unraveled late last month when a federal judge ruled that Lindsey Halligan — Trump's handpicked interim U.S. attorney — was unlawfully appointed. Because Halligan signed the indictments against James and former FBI Director James Comey, the judge ruled the cases must be dismissed.
James had pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements to a financial institution and bank fraud before the indictment was vacated.
U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that "all actions flowing from Ms. Halligan's defective appointment" were unlawful and must be set aside. However, Currie dismissed the cases "without prejudice," allowing prosecutors to seek new indictments.
But, as CNN noted, prosecutors face significant hurdles. Before the dismissal, James had already raised claims of selective and vindictive prosecution, pointing to Trump's repeated public demands — including Truth Social posts — insisting that she, Comey, and others be prosecuted.
James' legal team argued the DOJ had "transformed the Department of Justice into the President's personal agents of revenge," citing dozens of Trump comments calling his political adversaries "guilty as hell."
Prosecutors countered that Trump's social media posts did not constitute directives to act, but rather expressed his "belief" that certain individuals should face charges.
Currie found that Halligan's appointment violated federal rules governing interim U.S. attorneys, which limit such appointments to 120 days unless extended by a court. That window had expired months earlier, meaning Halligan lacked legal authority when she signed the indictments.
According to CNN, Halligan is now the latest in a series of Trump-backed federal prosecutors whose appointments have been ruled unlawful by federal courts. But in her case, judges threw out the indictments entirely because she was the sole prosecutor who signed them.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.