Prosecutor Disqualification Bid

Public Defenders Renew Bid to Disqualify Top Southern California Prosecutor

The Los Angeles federal public defender's office has renewed a bid to disqualify Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Southern California, from participating in or supervising the prosecution of its client Jaime Ramirez. This follows a recent ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals stating that the Department of Justice cannot keep an official who has not been confirmed by the Senate in charge of a U.S. attorney's office simply by giving him the full powers of the job. The public defender’s office accuses the government of playing "shadow games" with the most significant powers a government can wield against its population. Senior U.D. Judge J. Michael Seabright previously disqualified Essayali as acting U.M. attorney, stating there was no basis to preclude Essaylin from performing the lawful duties of first assistant U.