For the second time in a week, a federal grand jury has refused to approve an indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James. Since grand juries almost always ratify charges proposed by prosecutors, a one-sided process in which defense attorneys play no role, those back-to-back rejections are a striking sign that the grudge-driven case against James is legally shaky.
Last month, a federal judge dismissed the original indictment against James, which charged her with bank fraud and false statements to a financial institution in connection with a mortgage loan. U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie concluded that the sole prosecutor who signed the indictment, Lindsey Halligan, had been illegally appointed as the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. That embarrassing setback also flowed from the case's weakness.
