Alina Habba replaced as New Jersey’s top prosecutor
Alina Habba,a Trump ally,was replaced as the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey after failing to secure enough support from the state’s federal judges to continue in the role. Renée Marie Bumb, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for New Jersey, issued the order ending Habba’s 120-day term.desiree Leigh Grace, whom Habba had appointed as her first assistant, was named the new full-time U.S. attorney for the district. Habba’s tenure included controversial actions such as charging two New Jersey Democrats linked to immigration enforcement disputes, including Newark mayor Ras Baraka, whose trespassing charges were quickly dismissed by a federal judge who criticized Habba’s office for the hastiness of the arrest.Trump had nominated Habba for the permanent position, but the Senate Judiciary Committee has yet to advance her nomination. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized the decision to remove Habba, labeling it politically motivated and asserting that the judges undermined confidence in the justice system. Similar recent removals of interim U.S. attorneys appointed by Trump raise questions about possible departmental responses to maintain such officials in some capacity.
Alina Habba replaced as New Jersey’s top prosecutor
Trump ally Alina Habba was replaced as the interim U.S. attorney in New Jersey on Tuesday after failing to secure enough votes from the state’s federal judges in order to remain in the role.
Renée Marie Bumb, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, issued the order after Habba served a 120-day stint as the state’s top federal prosecutor. Desiree Leigh Grace, whom Habba named as her first assistant in the U.S. attorney’s office, was appointed to replace Habba as the full-time U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey.
President Donald Trump named his former defense lawyer and presidential adviser to take up the temporary role in March. Habba was given free rein to prosecute crimes in New Jersey. However, her time in the Justice Department was not without its controversies.
Habba’s office charged two New Jersey Democrats, Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, for impeding federal immigration enforcement outside a detention facility in the state. Baraka was initially charged with trespassing, but those charges were quickly dropped after his arrest. The three charges against McIver remain, and she pleaded not guilty.
In dismissing the charges against Baraka, U.S. Magistrate Judge André Espinosa rebuked Habba for arresting and charging the mayor over the clash with federal immigration officers.
“The hasty arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, followed swiftly by the dismissal of these trespassing charges a mere 13 days later, suggests a worrying misstep by your office,” Espinosa said. “An arrest, particularly of a public figure, is not a preliminary investigative tool. It is a severe action, carrying significant reputational and personal consequences, and it should only be undertaken after a thorough, dispassionate evaluation of credible evidence.”
Trump previously nominated Habba to continue serving in the role on a permanent basis, but the Senate Judiciary Committee has yet to advance the nomination.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche blasted the federal judge’s decision to oust Habba, whom the Trump administration stands behind.
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“The district court judges in NJ are trying to force out [Habba] before her term expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday,” Blanche wrote on X. “Their rush reveals what this was always about: a left-wing agenda, not the rule of law. When judges act like activists, they undermine confidence in our justice system. Alina is President Trump’s choice to lead—and no partisan bench can override that.”
John Sarcone III, who previously served as the interim U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York, was similarly ousted by federal judges last week. Sarcone is still working in the DOJ after the department named him “special attorney” to Attorney General Pam Bondi. It remains to be seen if the Trump administration makes a similar move with Habba.
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