Judges remove Alina Habba as New Jersey federal | Political News

The Justice Department battled to preserve President Donald Trump‘s former attorney, Alina Habba, in her position as the main federal prosecutor in New Jersey on Tuesday after a judicial panel declined to lengthen her appointment and chosen her deputy for the place.

Habba, who had been designated as the interim U.S. attorney for the state in March, appeared to forfeit the position earlier Tuesday, when district judges refused to retain her in the place while she awaits Senate affirmation.

Operating under laws that usually restricts interim U.S. attorney appointments to 120 days, the judges named one of Habba’s deputies, Desiree Leigh Grace, as her alternative.

However, mere hours afterward, Attorney General Pam Bondi declared that she had subsequently dismissed Grace, attributing Habba’s ousting to “politically minded judges.

“This Department of Justice doesn’t tolerate rogue judges,” Bondi stated on social media. The attorney general’s deputy, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, indicated in a social media post that he didn’t consider Habba’s 120-day appointment to conclude until 11:59 p.m. Friday.

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields announced in a statement that Trump maintains complete faith in Habba and that the administration would pursue her Senate confirmation, despite resistance from New Jersey’s two senators, both Democrats, who potentially possess the authority to obstruct her nomination. The judicial mandate designating Grace, authorized by Chief Judge Renee Marie Bumb, did not specify the rationale for selecting her over Habba.

Grace’s LinkedIn profile indicates she has been a federal prosecutor in New Jersey for almost nine years.

Attempts to reach Habba’s office and the Justice Department for comments were made.

Habba’s four-month stint as a prosecutor saw her clash with two notable New Jersey Democrats—Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver—over incidents during a tumultuous inspection of a privately managed immigration detention center in Newark.

Baraka faced a trespassing charge after trying to participate in a congressional tour of the facility. Despite denying any misconduct, the charge against him was eventually dismissed by Habba.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Andre Espinosa criticized Habba’s office for the arrest and brief prosecution, labeling it a “worrisome misstep.”

Now, Baraka is pursuing legal action against Habba for what he claims was “malicious prosecution.”

Subsequently, Habba initiated assault charges against McIver, who represents Newark, for her physical interaction with law enforcement during Baraka’s arrest.

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This ongoing case presents an unusual instance of a sitting member of Congress being federally prosecuted for something other than fraud or corruption. McIver has refuted the notion that her actions constituted assault.

In addition to prosecuting McIver, Habba announced that she had initiated an investigation into New Jersey’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, and attorney general, Matt Platkin, over the state’s directive prohibiting local law enforcement from collaborating with federal agents conducting immigration enforcement.

Habba used social media posts to spotlight her office’s prosecution of drug traffickers, including a case against 30 members of a fentanyl and crack cocaine ring in Newark.

Trump, a Republican, officially nominated Habba for the position of U.S. attorney on July 1. However, the state’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, expressed their opposition to her appointment.

According to a long-standing Senate tradition known as senatorial courtesy, a nomination can be stalled without support from home state senators, a situation faced by several other Trump nominees for U.S. attorney.

Booker and Kim accused Habba of pursuing politically motivated prosecutions.

Previously a partner in a small law firm near Trump’s New Jersey golf course, Habba served as a senior advisor for Trump’s political action committee, defended him in court in multiple lawsuits, and acted as a spokesperson last year as he alternated between courtrooms and the campaign trail.

U.S. attorneys often have experience as prosecutors, including at the state or local level. Many, including the acting U.S. attorneys in Brooklyn and Manhattan, have worked in the offices they now lead.

Habba expressed her desire to advance the president’s agenda of “placing America first.”

Habba emerged as one of Trump’s most prominent defense lawyers, making frequent appearances on cable TV news as his “legal spokesperson.”

She served as Trump’s consultant in 2024 during the defamation lawsuit involving E. Jean Carroll.

However, Habba possesses minimal federal court expertise, with her apply concentrated primarily in state-level tribunals. Throughout the Carroll proceedings, Judge Lewis A.

Kaplan reprimanded Habba for bungling procedures, misrepresenting legal statutes, inquiring about prohibited topics and raising objections following his rulings.