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Alina Habba, a prominent Trump ally, is stepping down as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor after an appellate court ruled last week that Attorney General Pam Bondi had improperly appointed her as U.S. attorney.
Bondi announced Monday that Habba will shift into a new role as the attorney general’s senior adviser, where she will oversee U.S. attorneys nationwide. Three Department of Justice officials will assume additional responsibilities within the New Jersey federal district following Habba’s resignation, Fox News reported.
“The court’s ruling has made it untenable for [Habba] to effectively run her office, with politicized judges pausing trials designed to bring violent criminals to justice,” Bondi said in a statement.
Bondi said the Justice Department would “seek further review” of the appellate court’s ruling and expressed confidence that the decision would be overturned. If that happens, Bondi added, Habba intends to resume her role as U.S. attorney in New Jersey, the report said.
Habba previously served as one of President Donald Trump’s personal attorneys before being appointed earlier this year as the temporary head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.
After her interim term expired, the administration pursued several unconventional measures to keep her in the position, but a three-judge appellate panel ruled last week that federal vacancy laws did not allow the Justice Department or the White House to bypass the Senate confirmation process to reinstate her.
In a statement announcing her new advisory role, Habba said her “fight will now stretch across the country” as litigation over her appointment continues.
“Make no mistake, you can take the girl out of New Jersey, but you cannot take New Jersey out of the girl,” Habba, who is from the state, said, per Fox.
The DOJ plans to delegate the U.S. attorney responsibilities in New Jersey to three officials, Philip Lamparello, Jordan Fox and Ari Fontecchio, the outlet noted further.
“I have full confidence in each of these exceptional attorneys and look forward to our continued collaboration as we make New Jersey and America safe again,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche noted in a statement.
Habba’s departure comes as the Trump administration faces continued difficulty keeping its preferred U.S. attorney nominees in place in Democratic-led states, where the Senate’s long-standing “blue slip” tradition gives home-state senators significant influence over federal prosecutor and judicial appointments.
Habba is one of several U.S. attorneys who have been disqualified after courts ruled that the administration used irregular or impermissible methods to install them. The broader dispute over these appointments may ultimately reach the Supreme Court.
In a separate case, a federal judge found that Lindsey Halligan — a former insurance lawyer and White House aide — had been unlawfully serving as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Justice Department leaders pushed back on that ruling in a statement Monday, describing Halligan as a “U.S. attorney” and alleging judicial bias in the decision.
Halligan had moved swiftly to file indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, but a judge dismissed both cases last month after determining that Halligan did not have the legal authority to pursue them.
The Justice Department said it would appeal the ruling disqualifying Halligan, but had not yet done so by this writing.
Last month, a man who attempted to “confront” Habba and allegedly destroyed property in her New Jersey office was arrested, the Justice Department announced. DOJ and FBI officials identified the suspect as Keith Michael Lisa, who has ties to both New Jersey and New York City.
“Thanks to the great work of @FBI, @USMarshalsHQ, and @HSI_HQ the suspect wanted in the attack on @USAttyHabba’s office is now in custody. No one will get away with threatening or intimidating our great US Attorneys or the destruction of their offices,” Bondi tweeted at the time.
“Threats against our U.S. Attorneys aren’t just attacks on individuals, they’re attacks on the rule of law. And we will respond every time,” FBI Director Kash Patel added.
