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Bill Essayli
Official portrait, 2024
First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 29, 2025
Preceded byJoseph T. McNally
United States Attorney for the Central District of California
Interim
In office
April 2, 2025 – July 29, 2025
Acting: July 30, 2025 – October 29, 2025
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byE. Martin Estrada
Joseph T. McNally (acting)
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 63rd district
In office
December 5, 2022 – April 1, 2025
Preceded byAnthony Rendon (redistricting)
Succeeded byNatasha Johnson
Personal details
BornBilal Ali Essayli
(1985-11-24) November 24, 1985 (age 40)[1]
Corona, California
PartyRepublican
EducationCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona (BA)
Chapman University (JD)

Bilal Ali "Bill" Essayli (born November 24, 1985) is an American lawyer and politician who currently serves as the First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California. He previously served as the interim United States attorney for the Central District of California from April to July 2025.[2][3][4][5] A federal judge ruled that he had illegally served as the acting US Attorney. Essayli was disqualified from holding the position because he stayed on beyond the initial interim period without having received official congressional approval,[6][7][8] and was immediately reassigned to the First Assistant United States Attorney role.[9][10]

Essayli served as a member of the California State Assembly from 2022 until 2025. A Republican, he was the first Muslim elected to the California State Assembly,[11] where he represented the 63rd district, which includes Canyon Lake, Corona, Eastvale, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Norco, Riverside, Temescal Valley, and Woodcrest.[12]

Early life and education

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Essayli's parents are immigrants from Lebanon who fled to the United States to escape the Lebanese Civil War.[11] He graduated from the public Centennial High School in Corona, California.[13]

Essayli received a bachelor's degree from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and a Juris Doctor degree from Chapman University.[14]

Early career

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Essayli served as an intern in the White House Counsel's Office in 2008. He then worked in private practice, where he focused on employment law. Then he joined the Riverside County District Attorney's office as a prosecutor. He then became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California. Among the cases he worked on was the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino.[15]

California State Assembly

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In 2018, Essayli ran for the California State Assembly against incumbent Democrat Sabrina Cervantes. He lost the election, but made a strong showing, which raised his local profile.

In 2022, Essayli ran for the state Assembly in the newly created 63rd Assembly District. He defeated Eastvale Mayor Clint Lorimore in the primary and businesswoman Fauzia Rizvi in the general election.

United States Attorney

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In April 2025, United States Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Essayli as interim United States Attorney for the Central District of California.[3][4] The appointment was made under federal law allowing the Attorney General to fill vacancies without Senate confirmation for up to 120 days.[16] The district, headquartered in Los Angeles, encompasses seven counties and nearly 20 million residents, making it the largest federal judicial district.[17]

His appointment prompted pushback from Democratic officials and progressive organizations, culminating in the launch of Stop Essayli, a grassroots effort opposing his confirmation on grounds of alleged political retaliation and civil rights concerns.[18][19][20][21]

The Los Angeles Times reported that Essayli struggled to secure convictions at grand juries for charges he brought against protestors during the June 2025 Los Angeles protests. By July 23, federal prosecutors brought 38 felony cases against protestors but secured only seven indictments, with many being dismissed or reduced to misdemeanor charges. Three federal law enforcement officers reported to the Times that they overheard a speakerphone conversation in the vicinity of the grand jury room in which Essayli screamed at a prosecutor to ignore the Department of Justice's Justice Manual and instead to secure indictments as directed by Pam Bondi. The report said Essayli's low number of indictments raised concerns among legal experts over the strength of the cases he was filing.[22]

On October 28, 2025, in a 64-page order, Senior Judge John Michael Seabright of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii ruled that Essayli's authority as an interim appointee had expired as of July 29, 2025.[7] Seabright wrote that "Essayli unlawfully assumed the role of Acting United States Attorney for the Central District of California", stating that "He is disqualified from serving in that role".[23][24][25] The judge determined that Essayli had been illegally serving in the acting role since July 2025, due to the lack of an official Senate confirmation, and clarified that Essayli may instead hold the title of "First Assistant United States Attorney" for the Central District of California.[6][7][8]

On January 24, 2026, in response to the killing of Alex Pretti, Essayli posted on Twitter: "If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don't do it!"[26] The gun-rights organizations National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America both criticized the comments. The National Rifle Association called these comments "dangerous and wrong" and called for a full investigation.[27] Gun Owners of America responded by stating: "We condemn the untoward comments of U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. Federal agents are not 'highly likely' to be 'legally justified' in 'shooting' concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm. The Second Amendment protects Americans' right to bear arms while protesting—a right the federal government must not infringe upon."[28]

Personal life

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Essayli is the first Muslim to be elected to the California State Assembly.[11][29] Regarding his religious beliefs, he has stated "My religion drives my moral compass, but it's not everything that I am. I'm an American that happens to be Muslim."[30]

Electoral history

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2018

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2018 California's 60th State Assembly district election[31][32]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bill Essayli 30,639 52.94%
Democratic Sabrina Cervantes (incumbent) 27,241 47.06%
Total votes 57,880 100.00%
General election
Democratic Sabrina Cervantes (incumbent) 67,950 54.07%
Republican Bill Essayli 57,710 45.93%
Total votes 125,660 100.00%
Democratic hold

2022

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2022 California's 63rd State Assembly district election[33][34]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Fauzia Rizvi 33,456 39.97%
Republican Bill Essayli 28,659 34.23%
Republican Clint Lorimore 21,598 25.80%
Total votes 83,713 100.00%
General election
Republican Bill Essayli 82,613 58.61%
Democratic Fauzia Rizvi 58,346 41.39%
Total votes 140,959 100.00%
Republican gain from Democratic

2024

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2024 California's 63rd State Assembly district election[35][36]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bill Essayli (incumbent) 54,295 60.50%
Democratic Chris Shoults 32,708 36.45%
No party preference Orlando Munguia 2,735 3.05%
Total votes 89,738 100.00%
General election
Republican Bill Essayli (incumbent) 122,968 57.28%
Democratic Chris Shoults 91,708 42.72%
Total votes 214,676 100.00%
Republican hold

References

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  1. ^ "JoinCalifornia - Bill Essayli". www.joincalifornia.com.
  2. ^ Mejia, Brittny; Queally, James; Wilner, Michael (July 29, 2025). "Trump administration maneuvers to keep Essayli as L.A.'s top federal prosecutor". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ a b Mejia, Brittny; Rector, Kevin; Mehta, Seema (April 1, 2025). "Trump ally and rising California GOP star Essayli named top federal prosecutor in L.A." Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ a b Fioresi, Dean (April 1, 2025). "Assemblyman Bill Essayli to accept appointment as U.S. Attorney for California's Central District". KCAL-TV.
  5. ^ Jones, Blake (April 1, 2025). "Trump picks lightning-rod California legislator to be US attorney in Los Angeles". Politico.
  6. ^ a b Cheney, Kyle; Gerstein, Josh (October 28, 2025). "Judge rules LA's top federal prosecutor was illegally appointed". Politico. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Grumbach, Gary; Richards, Zoë (October 28, 2025). "Federal judge rules U.S. attorney in California has been 'unlawfully serving' in role". NBC News. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Mejia, Brittny (October 28, 2025). "Judge rules Trump's top federal prosecutor in L.A. is 'unlawfully serving'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  9. ^ Woodward, Alex (October 29, 2025). "Another blow for Trump as judge disqualifies 'unlawfully serving' top prosecutor in Los Angeles". The Independent. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  10. ^ Bluth, Rachel; Norman, Nicole (October 29, 2025). "Bill Essayli says he isn't going anywhere". Politico. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c "Bill Essayli is the first American Muslim elected to the state Assembly". Spectrum News. January 5, 2023.
  12. ^ "Biography - AD63 | ESSAYLI". November 12, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "Central District of California | Meet the First Assistant U.S. Attorney | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. February 13, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  14. ^ "Bill Essayli". Digital Democracy. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "Bill Essayli for Assembly".
  16. ^ "28 U.S. Code § 546 - Vacancies". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  17. ^ "Central District of California | About the U.S. Attorney's Office". www.justice.gov. June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  18. ^ McCarthy, Will (June 14, 2025). "California's MAGA prosecutor makes Democrats squirm". POLITICO. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  19. ^ "Effort seeks to block Bill Essayli's U.S. attorney confirmation". Press Enterprise. June 13, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  20. ^ "Stop Essayli: Protect Our Communities and Block the Confirmation". Stop Essayli - Protect Our Communities. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  21. ^ Jones, Blake; Gardiner, Dustin (June 13, 2025). "California's short-lived win over Trump". POLITICO. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  22. ^ Queally, James; Mejia, Brittny (July 23, 2025). "Trump's top federal prosecutor in L.A. struggles to secure indictments in protest cases". Los Angeles Times.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "Trump-appointed acting US attorney disqualified from cases for 'unlawfully serving', rules judge". The Guardian. Associated Press. October 28, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  24. ^ Hakim, Danny (October 28, 2025). "Federal Judge Disqualifies Trump-Backed Prosecutor in Los Angeles". The New York Times. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  25. ^ Walsh, Joe (October 28, 2025). "Federal judge rules top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles is serving unlawfully". CBS News. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  26. ^ Essayli, Bill [@USAttyEssayli] (January 24, 2026). "If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.Don't do it!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 24, 2026 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Powell, Tori (January 24, 2026). "Live updates: Man shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis". CNN. Archived from the original on January 24, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  28. ^ Jashinsky, Emily [@emilyjashinsky] (January 24, 2026). "We condemn the untoward comments of U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. Federal agents are not 'highly likely' to be 'legally justified' in 'shooting' concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm. The Second Amendment protects Americans' right to bear arms while protesting—a right the federal government must not infringe upon" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Christopher, Ben (May 5, 2018). ""I'm not running for president": How the California Republican Party tries to put on a new face in the era of Trump". Calmatters.
  30. ^ "Trump ally and rising California GOP star Essayli is named top federal prosecutor in L.A." Los Angeles Times. April 2, 2025.
  31. ^ "June 5, 2018, Statewide Direct Primary Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  32. ^ "November 6, 2018, General Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  33. ^ "Primary Election - Statement of Vote, June 7, 2022 - State Assembly" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  34. ^ "General Election - Statement of Vote, November 8, 2022 - State Assembly" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  35. ^ "Presidential Primary Election - Statement of Vote, March 5, 2024 - State Assembly" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  36. ^ "General Election - Statement of Vote, November 5, 2024 - State Assembly" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
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  • Media related to Bill Essayli at Wikimedia Commons
  • Wikisource logo Works by or about Bill Essayli at Wikisource
  • Bill Essayli on Ballotpedia
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