Politics & Government
Trump’s Pick Done As NJ’s Top Prosecutor — For Good This Time
Habba was also Trump's personal attorney and a legal adviser on his presidential campaign.
NEW JERSEY — New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Alina Habba, is resigning after a protracted campaign to keep her job.
The decision comes a week after the courts disqualified her from the position.
Habba, 41, called the ruling political in a social media post on Monday and vowed "to protect the stability and integrity" of the office by stepping away.
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She will stay on as a senior adviser to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
"The decision will not weaken the Justice Department and it will not weaken me," Habba added.
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Habba was disqualified from her role after a court ruling on Dec. 1 in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling upheld a lower court's decision that the Trump Administration acted against the law when it inserted Havva into her role without support from the U.S. Senate.
Habba has been fighting since July to keep her role after New Jersey's District Court decided not to extend her 120-day term after she was appointed by Trump on March 24.
On Aug. 21, a judge ruled that Habba was unlawfully serving as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey and should not be allowed to continue.
The White House maintained that Habba was cleared to continue serving due to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act after already serving as First Assistant U.S. Attorney.
The court, however, held that Habba's term ended on July 26 and the White House's efforts to keep her serving without getting Senate confirmation were against the law.
Desiree Leigh Grace, Habba's first assistant, had been tapped to fill the role at the time without an explanation of why she was chosen.
Just hours later, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi removed Grace and reiterated the White House's support for Habba.
Trump then withdrew Habba's original nomination, allowing her to continue in her role.
Along with serving as his personal attorney, Habba was also a legal adviser to Trump's presidential campaign.
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