Ninth Circuit Upholds Disqualification of Nominated U.S. Attorney in Nevada

SAN FRANCISCO, CA & LAS VEGAS, NV — A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a published opinion on Tuesday upholding a lower court ruling that disqualified attorney Sigal Chattah from participating in federal prosecutorial oversight in the District of Nevada.

Ethics Conflict Standards and Judicial Reasoning

The appellate panel affirmed that Chattah's extensive prior litigation against the Department of Justice and other federal agencies created non-waivable structural conflicts of interest under federal ethics guidelines governing Department of Justice attorneys.

The opinion, authored by Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen, noted that the integrity of the federal prosecutorial function requires strict adherence to ethical canons that prevent the appearance of personal or political animus in prosecutorial decision-making.

District of Nevada Leadership Continuity

The ruling ensures that career federal prosecutors and the acting U.S. Attorney will continue managing major federal criminal dockets, public corruption inquiries, and tribal jurisdictional prosecutions across Nevada without administrative interruption.

Legal representatives for Chattah indicated they are evaluating petitions for en banc rehearing before the full Ninth Circuit bench.

Impact on Federal Judicial Appointments

Legal ethics scholars noted that the decision reinforces the institutional boundary between political advocacy and the statutory impartiality required of federal prosecutorial appointees.