A federal judge on Monday tossed the Justice Department's cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling the appointment of President Trump's hand-picked prosecutor was invalid.

Why it matters: The decision is a major rebuke of the retribution campaign against Trump's longtime enemies.

Driving the news: Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie dismissed both cases without prejudice. • "I conclude that all actions flowing from Ms. Halligan's defective appointment, including securing and signing Ms. James's indictment, constitute unlawful exercises of executive power and must be set aside," she wrote in an order in James' case. • She reached the same conclusion in Comey's case.

What they're saying: "I am heartened by today's

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