In a stunning judicial rebuke that has rattled the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., a federal magistrate judge has accused prosecutors of violating long-standing legal norms by taking federal charges to a local grand jury after repeated rejections from federal panels.
The case centers on President Trump’s controversial crime crackdown initiative, which has led to a wave of prosecutions that have consistently failed to gain traction with federal grand juries. But this week, the legal drama took a dramatic turn when prosecutors secured an indictment—not from a federal grand jury, but from a local one.
Judge Slams ‘End Run’ Around Justice
Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui, himself a former federal prosecutor, issued a scathing court order refusing to accept the indictment. He described the maneuver as an “end run” around standard legal procedure and accused the government of engaging in what he called “grand jury forum shopping.”
“At a minimum, this is very unseemly. More than likely, it is unlawful,” Judge Faruqui wrote in his ruling.
Why This Case Is Unprecedented
Federal charges are typically presented only to federal grand juries. The fact that prosecutors turned to a D.C. Superior Court grand jury—a body that usually handles local, not federal, crimes—has raised serious constitutional and procedural concerns.
Timeline of the Controversy
- August–September 2025: Nearly a dozen federal grand juries reject indictments tied to Trump’s local crime initiative.
- September 30, 2025: Prosecutors secure indictment from a local D.C. grand jury on federal charges.
- October 1, 2025: Judge Faruqui refuses to accept the indictment, calling the tactic unlawful.
Breaking Down the Legal Breach
The following table compares standard procedure with the prosecutors’ controversial actions:
| Aspect | Standard Federal Procedure | Prosecutors’ Action (Sept. 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Federal charges presented to federal grand jury | Federal charges presented to local D.C. grand jury |
| Legal Norm | Presumption of regularity; trust in prosecutorial conduct | Accused of “forum shopping” and eroding judicial trust |
| Judicial Response | Indictments routinely accepted if properly issued | Indictment preemptively rejected by federal judge |
[INTERNAL_LINK:federal-prosecution] | [INTERNAL_LINK:grand-jury-process]
Broader Implications
Legal experts warn this incident could set a dangerous precedent if left unchecked. Judge Faruqui emphasized that such tactics undermine the “decades-long norms and the rule of law” that form the bedrock of the U.S. justice system.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has not yet issued a public response to the judge’s ruling.
