Washington DC - Lindsey Halligan, the new US Attorney for Virginia appointed by President Donald Trump, has responded after a judge questioned her authority.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Halligan submitted a response filing accusing US District Judge David Novak – a judge appointed by Trump himself – of initiating an "inquisition" against Halligan.

The group claimed the judge issued a "thinly veiled threat to use attorney discipline to cudgel the Executive Branch into conforming its legal position in all criminal prosecutions to the views of a single district judge."

The filing comes after US District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled in November that the DOJ had violated the Constitution by appointing Halligan, which led to several high-profile cases she had undertaken being dismissed.

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In spite of the ruling, the Trump administration has continued to keep Halligan, who was the president's personal attorney before the appointment, in the role.

Judge Novak is now overseeing another case involving a suspect in a carjacking and attempted bank robbery.

Earlier this month, he issued an order suggesting Halligan submitted "false and misleading" statements by identifying herself as the US Attorney for Virginia, "notwithstanding Judge Currie's contrary ruling," and gave her seven days to explain.

According to NBC News, federal judges have grown so frustrated with Halligan that one has been putting an asterisk next to her name on every court document and referring others to Judge Currie's ruling.