Sigal Chattah’s term as temporary US attorney extended

President Donald Trump appointed Las Vegas attorney Sigal Chattah as acting U.S. attorney the day before her previous appointment as interim U.S. Attorney was set to expire, Chattah said Tuesday.

“It’s an honor to continue serving the administration, and I look forward to ensuring that the administration’s mission is accomplished, and to continue pursuing justice and keeping our community safe,” Chattah told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The former RNC national committeewoman was appointed interim U.S. attorney in March and started her 120-day term April 1. Interim U.S. attorneys can serve up to 120 days or until they are nominated for the role and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. That 120-day period would have run out on July 30.

Chattah has not been formally nominated for the position, likely due to Nevada’s Democratic senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen’s strong opposition of the appointment.

Trump extended her term under the Vacancies Reform Act, Chattah said.

If an interim U.S. attorney’s appointment expires before they are confirmed, the federal District Court for that district appoints an interim U.S. attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled, according to the Office of the Inspector General.

It is unclear what the judiciary’s position is on Chattah’s extension. A media request with the U.S. District Court District of Nevada was not immediately returned.

Rosen accused Trump of ignoring the Constitution and bypassing Congress to appoint Chattah as the acting U.S. attorney for the district of Nevada and extending her temporary appointment that was set to expire.

“This is an outrageous attempt by the Trump Administration to try to install extremist Sigal Chattah as Acting U.S. Attorney for Nevada and keep her in that role indefinitely,” Rosen said in a Tuesday statement. “I will continue doing everything I can to block any permanent appointment of extremist Sigal Chattah as Nevada’s U.S. Attorney. She is deeply unfit for this role, and I call on the legal system to immediately remove her.”

The White House did not return a request for comment seeking response about Rosen’s claims.

Cortez Masto said in a statement that by bypassing the Senate, the Trump administration “knows Ms. Chattah is unconfirmable.”

“This unprecedented maneuver sets a dangerous standard and risks holding up critical criminal cases just so that President Trump can play political games,” she said in a statement. “At the end of the day, my position remains the same: Sigal Chattah is unfit for this role.”

Chattah has long drawn ire from Nevada’s Democratic officials. When running for attorney general in 2022 against Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, leaked texts revealed that she had said Ford, who is Black, “should be hanging from a (expletive) crane.”

She championed conservative causes in Las Vegas, from challenging COVID-19-era church closures to filing an antisemitism lawsuit against UNLV and the Board of Regents. She’s also represented high-profile individuals, including one of Nevada’s six so-called “fake electors” as well as Vem Miller, who was arrested outside of a Trump rally in 2024 with what authorities said were loaded guns.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.