Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

New York AG Letitia James Pleads Not Guilty

Credit: Matt Cohen. Letitia James

Norfolk, VA — New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty on Friday.

“Not guilty, judge, to both counts,” James, who faces charges for bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, told U.S. District Court Judge Jamar Walker.

The judge set a Jan. 26, 2026 trial date.

Defense attorney Abbe Lowell indicated James would be filing motions to dismiss the case for vindictive or selective prosecution and challenging Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan’s appointment.

Former FBI Director James Comey filed the same two motions on Monday in an effort to dismiss his indictment, which was also brought by Halligan. The judge suggested James’ motion challenging Halligan’s appointment could be heard at the same time as Comey’s.

“News reports and the President’s own public statements indicate that the grand jury proceeding would not have occurred absent Ms. Halligan’s unlawful appointment,” James’ attorneys wrote in a motion filed shortly after the hearing. “The only proper remedy is dismissal.”

Oral arguments to consider Halligan’s appointment have been set for November 13. Judge Cameron McGowan Currie from the District of South Carolina will rule on the motion.

Halligan did not speak during the arraignment. Roger Keller, a federal prosecutor who has been based in Missouri, spoke for the government.

Keller, whose name first appeared on the case docket Wednesday, indicated at some points that he wasn’t yet fully up to speed.

The judge also briefly brought up a motion James’ attorneys filed Thursday night to enforce rules that restrict prosecutors from talking to the press, which included a request for the government to “maintain a log of all contact” with the media. Halligan sent Lawfare reporter Anna Bower direct messages on Signal stating she had shared incorrect information about the case, and the reporter published the messages on Monday.

While Keller noted James has also “been active on the internet,” James’ attorney said the rules that apply to federal prosecutors do not apply to defendants.

James exited the courtroom to cheers from a crowd rallying in her support.

“This is not about me,” she said. “This is about all of us and about a justice system which has been weaponized. A justice system which has been used as a tool of revenge.”