Credit: via Wikimedia

MORNING HEADLINES  |  Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, a Florence native who has been on the bench since 1994, tossed out separate criminal charges Monday against former F.B.I. Director James B. Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. 

In the case, which has national implications, the judge ruled a loyalist federal prosecutor installed by President Trump to bring the cases was put into her job unlawfully. The Justice Department may appeal.

The decisions, filed Nov. 24, reaffirmed arguments made by attorneys for Comey and James that Trump’s prosecutor, former White House aide and interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan for the Eastern District of Virginia, was illegally appointed to try the case in the first place. Halligan was appointed by Trump in an interim capacity, replacing his previous pick, who was also serving in a temporary role. Currie ruled that it was unlawful to appoint two interim prosecutors in succession. 

Currie also wrote that if she did not dismiss the indictments, the consequences to the criminal justice system would be enormous.

“It would mean the government could send any private citizen off the street — attorney or not — into the grand jury room to secure an indictment so long as the attorney general gives her approval after the fact,” she wrote. “That cannot be the law.”

The dismissal of charges without prejudice means the government could also try to refile them with another grand jury. 

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In other recent headlines

THANKSGIVING: Big temperature drop this Thanksgiving for millions across U.S. A blast of Arctic air is set to sweep across the country just as family and friends take to the roads and skies to gather for Thanksgiving. Highs in the 50s will stretch from northern Texas through the Tennessee Valley and Carolinas.

Charleston Co. sheriffs warn about holiday scammers targeting older adults. The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office is asking older adults and their families to be on the lookout for scams, which can include government impersonation, technical support scams and the so-called grandparent scam.

CARTA seeks public input on transit improvements. The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments has launched CARTA Now & Next, an initiative designed to gather resident input on upgrading transit services and developing better transportation systems for the Lowcountry.

Boeing tackles quality with ‘war on defects.’ Two years after a panel flew off a 737 Max, Boeing is doing more inspections, completing work in its intended order and making other changes.

Ashley River pedestrian bridge one step closer to completion. The long-awaited Ashley River Crossing that will carry foot and bike traffic from Charleston’s population center to its downtown job hub is on schedule to open in mid-2027.

Cogswell shares takeaways from Charleston Delegation European research trip. Representatives from the city, Historic Charleston Foundation, Preservation Society of Charleston and Beemok Capital traveled to London, Amsterdam and Copenhagen in an effort to help shape the Union Pier redevelopment plan.

Charleston Co. attendance incentive benefits kids in poverty. A Charleston County School District pilot that offered families $25 per week if students achieved perfect attendance last spring made the biggest difference for low-income students and English learners, according to district data.

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