Federal Appeals Court Disqualifies Alina Habba as New Jersey's Top Prosecutor
In a significant ruling, a US federal appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, was unlawfully serving as top federal prosecutor for the state of New Jersey. The decision is likely to have far-reaching implications for hundreds of criminal cases in the state.
Habba, 41, was installed in the role by the Trump administration after her nomination was rejected by a district court. However, the appeals court found that this tactic, which bypassed confirmation by the US Senate, violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
This ruling marks the second time a Trump-appointed prosecutor has been disqualified in recent weeks. The decision is seen as a significant blow to President Trump's efforts to install loyalists in key federal positions without facing Congressional scrutiny.
The appeals court's decision was written by Judge Michael Fisher, who noted that "the current administration has been frustrated by some of the legal and political barriers to getting its appointees in place." Three lawyers who challenged Habba's authority, Abbe David Lowell, Gerry Krovatin, and Norm Eisen, issued a joint statement expressing their satisfaction with the ruling.
Habba had been appointed as US Attorney for New Jersey this year, despite her lack of experience in the role. She was previously part of Trump's personal legal team, representing him in his hush-money trial in New York last year, where he was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The ruling may force the Department of Justice to find a new prosecutor to supervise federal criminal cases in New Jersey. Habba had faced challenges from three men facing criminal charges in New Jersey who argued that her appointment was unlawful. A federal judge had initially ruled in their favor, but the appeals court's decision has put an end to Habba's tenure as top prosecutor.
This ruling is part of a broader trend of challenges to President Trump's appointees in key federal positions. In recent weeks, two other US prosecutors have faced similar disqualification efforts.
In a significant ruling, a US federal appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, was unlawfully serving as top federal prosecutor for the state of New Jersey. The decision is likely to have far-reaching implications for hundreds of criminal cases in the state.
Habba, 41, was installed in the role by the Trump administration after her nomination was rejected by a district court. However, the appeals court found that this tactic, which bypassed confirmation by the US Senate, violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
This ruling marks the second time a Trump-appointed prosecutor has been disqualified in recent weeks. The decision is seen as a significant blow to President Trump's efforts to install loyalists in key federal positions without facing Congressional scrutiny.
The appeals court's decision was written by Judge Michael Fisher, who noted that "the current administration has been frustrated by some of the legal and political barriers to getting its appointees in place." Three lawyers who challenged Habba's authority, Abbe David Lowell, Gerry Krovatin, and Norm Eisen, issued a joint statement expressing their satisfaction with the ruling.
Habba had been appointed as US Attorney for New Jersey this year, despite her lack of experience in the role. She was previously part of Trump's personal legal team, representing him in his hush-money trial in New York last year, where he was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The ruling may force the Department of Justice to find a new prosecutor to supervise federal criminal cases in New Jersey. Habba had faced challenges from three men facing criminal charges in New Jersey who argued that her appointment was unlawful. A federal judge had initially ruled in their favor, but the appeals court's decision has put an end to Habba's tenure as top prosecutor.
This ruling is part of a broader trend of challenges to President Trump's appointees in key federal positions. In recent weeks, two other US prosecutors have faced similar disqualification efforts.
. Alina Habba got appointed as top prosecutor without even going through the proper channels (like getting Senate approval), and now she's being kicked out because of it 
. It's like, we need to slow down and make sure we're doing things right before we just jump in headfirst, you know?
what's up with this? I was like 5 days late to the party and saw that Alina Habba got disqualified as NJ's top prosecutor 
. And now, I guess hundreds of criminal cases are gonna be all messed up because of it 
. It's kinda crazy how some people can just do whatever they want and then try to backtrack when caught 
. Anyway, glad someone finally spoke out against this shady move 
alina habba wasnt even qualified for the job but trump just went ahead and appointed her anyway 
and now she's being disqualified by a court? 
i mean, i get it, trump's been trying to stack the deck with his loyalists, but this is just ridiculous 
hope the DOJ can find someone who actually knows what they're doing 
. Like, who's in charge here? The president or some bureaucratic act? It's crazy that one person's lack of experience is causing so many problems for hundreds of criminal cases 
.
, but come on, shouldn't you have to go through the proper channels if you wanna be in a high-ranking position? Like, some sort of background check or something? This whole thing just reeks of favoritism and cronyism 
.
. I don't know how many times we need to go through this before things get sorted out 
. Anyway, hopefully a new prosecutor gets appointed soon so these cases can actually move forward 
.
by this development... I mean, who gets appointed to be the top prosecutor without Senate confirmation? It just seems so un-American 
. It's like they're trying to stack the deck in their favor... what's next? 
especially after everything she went thru with trump 
guess thats just how the law works tho 
hope she finds a way to bounce back from dis 
this whole thing is. Alina Habba thought she was above the law just 'cause her boss had a bad hair day 
. I'm not surprised, tbh. If Trump can't even follow the rules to appoint his own lawyers, how can we trust him with anything else? 
Like, who does he think he is trying to pack the courts and DOJ with sycophants like Habba? 
.
. Anyway, gotta love that Abbe David Lowell and his crew 
. Hope they pick someone with some actual experience 
!
.