Essayli sworn in as US attorney for Central District

Republican Assemblyman Bilal "Bill" Essayli, R-Corona, was sworn in on Wednesday as the new U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. The announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice came less than 16 hours after news broke that President Donald Trump had chosen him.

The move marks a stunning rise for the conservative politician, just 39. In the space of a day, Essayli moved from being a minority-party lawmaker who has never had a bill signed by a governor to the top prosecutor in the most populous federal district in the nation.

Essayli confirmed news reports on his X.com account on Tuesday night, hours after Politico first reported it. He announced he had accepted the post and "vacated his seat in the California State Assembly to accept the appointment."

"I intend to implement the President's mission to restore trust in our justice system and pursue those who dare to cause harm to the United States and the People of our nation," Essayli said in the statement. "In just over two years, we have achieved major victories to restore common sense in Sacramento. When I joined the Assembly, parental rights, illegal immigration, and voter ID were peripheral issues; we've made them centerpieces of our Party."

Essayli is a former Riverside County deputy district attorney and assistant U.S. attorney in the Central District. In that role, he prosecuted accessories to the 2015 Islamic terror attack at a government building in San Bernardino in which 14 people were killed. A graduate of Chapman University School of Law, he also maintains an estate planning law firm, Essayli & Brown LLP, in Irvine. In 2022, he became the first Muslim elected to the California Assembly.  

Stephanie Yonekura was acting U.S. Attorney in the district from 2014 to 2015, during Essayli's time.

"Billy was a really friendly, collaborative prosecutor with the rest of the office," said Yonekura, now the global head of the Investigations, White Collar, and Fraud practice at Hogan Lovells in Los Angeles. "He was a prosecutor after coming from the DA's office who aggressively pursued justice on behalf of all of the 19 million people of the district. I think the U.S. Central District is lucky to have a newly appointed US attorney with Billy's background."

"Bill and I worked closely together as AUSAs for the Central District of California," Jeffrey M. Chemerinsky, a partner with Kendall Brill Kelly in Los Angeles, responded in an email. "Bill is a skilled trial lawyer."

"As an AUSA, he was deeply committed to the principles of public safety and to the prosecutor's role in working with law enforcement to ensure those goals. I hope he'll run the office as he prosecuted cases -- fairly and without fear or favor," Chemerinsky said.

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-East Nicolaus, hailed the choice in a news release on Tuesday.

"Bill Essayli is a strong advocate for common sense and public safety in California -- I can't think of a better person to serve as one of California's top law enforcement officials," Gallagher said. "Through his time in the Assembly, Bill's principled leadership and legal expertise have made him a great asset to his constituents and the Republican Caucus."

Essayli was the only lawmaker of either party who did not have a bill approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom during the 2023-24 legislative session--his only full term. But he did sometimes generate headlines with his verbal clashes with Democrats, particularly over issues relating to transgendered people.

Essayli's final day in the Assembly summed up his tenure. His AB 844, which would limit students to participating in school sports teams that correspond with their "genetics at the time of birth," went down on a 2-6 party-line vote in the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism. As his lead witness he chose conservative podcaster Matt Walsh.

"The rejection of AB 844 demonstrates just how out of touch Assembly Democrats have become," Essayli told reporters after the hearing.

His appointment could also put the Greater Los Angeles region under two up-and-coming conservative prosecutors. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Hochman unseated progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon in the November election.