Alina Habba to Remain NJ Prosecutor

Alina Habba, President Trump’s pick to serve as New Jersey US attorney, will continue to serve as the Garden State’s top prosecutor despite a panel of judges rejecting her for the post.

“Donald J. Trump is the 47th President. Pam Bondi is the Attorney General. And I am now the Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey,” Habba wrote on X Thursday.

“I don’t cower to pressure. I don’t answer to politics,” she added. “This is a fight for justice. And I’m all in.”

Habba’s stint as New Jersey’s interim US attorney was set to expire on Friday.

She was tapped for the temporary role by Trump in March – pending permanent approval – and had 120 days to serve as US attorney in an interim capacity.

The Garden State’s 17 federal judges — mainly appointed by Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden — opted against extending Habba’s tenure earlier this week and announced the appointment of First Assistant US Attorney in New Jersey Desiree Leigh Grace to lead the office.

Grace was subsequently fired by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who said the DOJ would “not tolerate rogue judges.”

A DOJ official explained to multiple outlets Thursday that Trump withdrew Habba’s nomination to be the state’s US attorney and that she was appointed first assistant US attorney, replacing Grace, and allowing Habba to become acting US attorney of New Jersey.

The first assistant attorney becomes acting US attorney if the position is vacant.

Habba, Trump’s onetime personal attorney, had been blocked from receiving a Senate confirmation hearing by some Democrats in the upper chamber – leaving an extension of her interim status by the state judges or Thursday’s workaround as the only options for her to remain New Jersey’s top prosecutor.

The New Jersey native had garnered the enthusiastic support of the National Troopers Coalition, National Association of Police Organizations and National Police Defense Foundation since being nominated to the post.