Alina Habba, Trump’s former lawyer, resigns as top NJ federal prosecutor
President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, resigned as acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey on Monday. Her resignation follows an appeals court ruling finding that she was serving in her position unlawfully.
Habba said she is stepping down to protect “the stability and integrity of the office which I love,” according to a post she made on social media. However, she said she will continue to “fight.”
“My fight will now stretch across the country,” she wrote. “Make no mistake, you can take the girl out of New Jersey, but you cannot take New Jersey out of the girl.”
Why did the court rule against Habba?
Habba’s announcement comes a week after a federal appellate court ruled Trump had unlawfully appointed her to the prosecutor’s position. Judges rejected how the Department of Justice appointed Habba, saying they believed it was an effort to interfere with the traditional appointment process.
They said using acting U.S. attorneys would allow an appointee to serve indefinitely without Senate confirmation. Other judges have raised similar concerns about U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan. She brought cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. A judge later dismissed both cases because of her appointment.
Courts also found that the U.S. attorneys serving Nevada and the Central District of California were serving illegally.
Who will replace Habba?
It was unclear who the administration would appoint to Habba’s position.
The rulings in Habba’s case left some prosecutors questioning how to proceed with their cases. Prosecutors halted sentencing, plea deals, and trial dates following initial court challenges to Habba’s appointment, according to CNN.
In those cases, prosecutors filed new cases, and courts returned new indictments, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also signing the documents.
This is a developing story, and more information will be added as it becomes available.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
