Alina Habba announced Monday she is leaving as the top prosecutor in New Jersey after federal courts ruled the former Trump lawyer was unlawfully appointed. She now will be a senior adviser to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Dec. 8 Alina Habba announced Monday she is leaving as the top prosecutor in New Jersey after federal courts ruled the former Trump lawyer was unlawfully appointed. She now will be a senior adviser to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Habba, who previously represented Donald Trump before he became president again, said she will return to the position if the courts overrule previous decisions at the district and circuit levels, possibly including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Habba, 41, was appointed interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey on March 8 and re-appointed in an acting role in July after her 120-day tenure expired.
In August, District Judge Matthew Brann in Pennsylvania ruled that she was serving in the position «without lawful authority» and she was disqualified as New Jersey’s top federal law enforcement officer. He was nominated by President Barack Obama.
Last week, a federal appeals court unanimously upheld that decision: Michael Fisher and Brooks Smith, appointed by President George W. Bush, and Felipe Restrepo, by Obama.
The Department of Justice has not appealed that decision.
«As a result of the Third Circuit’s ruling, and to protect the stability and integrity of the office which I love, I have decided to step down in my role as the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey», Habba posted on X. «But do not mistake compliance for surrender.
