Judge slams Bondi and Blanche for responding to him with "a level of vitriol more appropriate for a cable news talk show

[LetMyPeopleVote]

A week ago, the DOJ (Bondi and Blanche) and Halligan filed a response to a question asked by a federal judge that was beyond arrogant and was out right disrespectful to the judge. See https://upload.democraticunderground.com/10143598130 and
https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100220935905
Today the judge responded to this filing. This judge is pissed at Bondi, Blanche and Halligan

Judge David Novak, a Trump appointee, slams Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche for responding to him with "a level of vitriol more appropriate for a cable news talk show" than the DOJ.

— Adam Klasfeld (@klasfeldreports.com) 2026-01-20T18:42:06.529Z

[Goonch]

1. ;-{)

[angrychair]

2. The point is they don't care

They are already ignoring all or part of most rulings against them.
They regularly ignore existing law, like how they are required to give on demand access to members of Congress to ICE facilities and producing the Epstein files. They are doing neither.
Grand Juries refusing to give indictments is doing more to save democracy than anything else right now.

I freely admit I don't know what specifically can be done from Democratic members of Congress, I'm not in Congress, but it something different than they are doing now.
Approving record setting increases in the defense budget probably isn't what I would have suggested.

[OldBaldy1701E]

5. "Grand Juries refusing to give indictments is doing more to save democracy than anything else right now."

Yup!

[Marie Marie]

3. Just charge them with contempt - daily fines and jail time. They've all ignored the law for long enough.

[roscoeroscoe]

4. This is one branch of the Rubicon

Maybe just a tributary, but I appreciate Judge Novak's determination to enforce the rule of law. Looking forware to Glenn Kirshner's take on this, and Andrew Weissman (sp?)

[leftstreet]

6. DURec

[spanone]

7. trmp will have bondi go after the judge now.

FUCK THESE ASSHOLES

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Judge hits disqualified MAGA prosecutor with scathing order for pretending she's in office

Halligan's and the DOJ's filing was really stupid and really pissed off this judge

Judge hits disqualified MAGA prosecutor with scathing order for pretending she's in office

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-01-20T20:31:16Z

https://www.rawstory.com/lindsey-halligan-2674913757

A federal judge ordered Lindsey Halligan, the disqualified acting U.S. attorney President Donald Trump's Justice Department installed in the Eastern District of Virginia, to stop calling herself a U.S. attorney in a scathing ruling on Tuesday — and went out of his way to rebuke her for a "vitriol"-laden filing with the court that would be "more appropriate for a cable news talk show."....

Despite this ruling, Halligan continued referring to herself as a "U.S. attorney" and conducted work in the office as if she were still serving in that role, prompting further legal motions to stop her from doing so. In response, Halligan, in a joint filing with Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, fired off a filing that slammed the courts for a "fundamental misunderstanding" and a "gross abuse of power."

On Monday, however, U.S. District Judge David Novak, himself a Trump appointee, brought down the hammer, finding Halligan may not use the title of "U.S. attorney" and that she "ignore[d] a binding court order" that compelled her to stop.

"Ms. Halligan’s response ... contains a level of vitriol more appropriate for a cable news talk show and falls far beneath the level of advocacy expected from litigants in this Court, particularly the Department of Justice," wrote Novak, adding that "The Court will not engage in a similar tit-for-tat." He warned that "Ms. Halligan and anyone who joins her on a pleading" that continues to call her a U.S. attorney "subjects themselves to potential disciplinary action in this Court pursuant to the Court’s Local Rules."

It is never a good idea to piss off a federal judge

[FakeNoose]

9. Not sure about Halligan, but Pam Bondi only has an audience of ONE

As long as her annoying bullshit goes straight into Chump's ear, nothing else matters.

Lisa Halligan needs to lose her law license pronto. Go on, Judge Novak, do it!

[RainCaster]

10. This shows the respect the GOP has for the law

Sigh.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

11. Embattled Trump DOJ prosecutor out after stinging court rebukes

This makes me smile

Embattled Trump DOJ prosecutor out after stinging court rebukes

— #TuckFrump (@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social) 2026-01-21T02:01:35.000Z

https://www.rawstory.com/lindsey-halligan-2674914897/

Embattled interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan is departing the Department of Justice, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Tuesday.

Halligan's departure comes at a time when President Donald Trump has put increased pressure on the agency to prosecute his political enemies. According to reports, Trump has privately raged that Bondi is "weak and ineffective." He also cornered some of his U.S. Attorneys during a recent photoshoot and told them to prosecute his enemies more quickly.

Halligan is a former insurance lawyer who represented Trump during his civil fraud case in New York in 2024. She was brought on as an interim U.S. Attorney last year to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both cases have since fallen apart as courts ruled Halligan is illegally serving in her role.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

12. The judge found that Halligan was too stupid to disbar

This is also my favorite part of this opinion

My favorite part of Judge Novak's ruling on Lindsey Halligan is that basically she's too dumb to disbar.

— Mueller, She Wrote (@muellershewrote.com) 2026-01-21T17:34:37.362Z