New York Attorney General James is seeking to block the subpoenas issued by the Trump administration

New York Attorney General Letitia James is challenging the legitimacy of the acting U.S. attorney in Albany as she opposes the Trump administration’s investigation into cases she brought against the president and the National Rifle Association, according to court documents unsealed Friday.

James in August filed a motion to block subpoenas issued by Acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone for records related to the legal proceedings, claiming the Justice Department’s investigation into the cases was retaliatory.

Read more: New York Attorney General Letitia James has pleaded not guilty in Trump’s mortgage fraud case.

It also said Sarcone was improperly appointed to his position and, as a result, lacked the legitimate authority to authorize the subpoenas.

The subpoenas seek records related to a major civil case filed by Democrat James against President Donald Trump over alleged fraud in his personal business dealings. Another subpoena seeks records from a lawsuit involving the National Rifle Association and two top executives.

Dozens of court documents in this case have been submitted under seal to the US District Court since August. A federal judge in Manhattan late Friday approved James’ proposal to unseal most of the entries, making them public over the Justice Department’s objection.

But Judge Lorna Schofield has not yet ruled on the request to quash the subpoenas.

“Disclosing this act is not only permissible, it is mandatory,” she wrote. “There is a simple fact that leads to this conclusion: the information in question is not confidential.”

An email seeking comment was sent to Sarcone’s office. A phone message was not immediately returned late Friday.

James accused the Trump administration of using the judicial system “as a tool for revenge” against opponents. The attorney general has sued Trump and his Republican administration dozens of times over his policies as president and over the way he ran his private business empire.

In October, James was indicted in a federal mortgage fraud case, and the president pressured the Justice Department to bring her up. She pleaded not guilty Monday to accusations that she lied on mortgage paperwork to get favorable loan terms when buying a home in Norfolk, Virginia, where the family lives.

In her motion to quash Sarcone’s subpoenas, James cited anonymous media reports that she was part of a grand jury investigation into allegations that James violated Trump’s civil rights in 2022 when her office filed a lawsuit against Trump, who was then a private businessman.

She said Sarcone lacked the authority to issue the subpoenas because he was improperly appointed by the Trump administration.

U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi appointed Sarcone to serve as interim U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York in March. As the 120-day interim period expired, Bondi appointed him as first assistant U.S. attorney for the district, improperly expanding his role as acting U.S. attorney, according to James.

James’ lawyers in the mortgage fraud case said they plan to challenge the appointment of the prosecutor, Lindsay Halligan, on similar grounds.

The indictment in this case came after Eric Seibert resigned as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Seibert was replaced by Halligan, a White House aide and former Trump lawyer who had never worked as a federal prosecutor, and presented James’ case to the grand jury herself.