President Trump’s choice to be New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney is officially out for now. A panel of federal judges blocked Alina Habba from staying in the job where she served in acting capacity for the last 120 days.
The judges on Tuesday announced their choice of Desiree Grace, Habba’s first assistant, to replace her through a rarely used power — allowing judges to vote on a candidate of their own.
Hours later, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on social media that Grace was “removed.”
“@USAttyHabba has been doing a great job in making NJ safe again. Nonetheless, politically minded judges refused to allow her to continue in her position, replacing Alina with the First Assistant,” Bondi wrote. “Accordingly, the First Assistant United States Attorney in New Jersey has just been removed. This Department of Justice does not tolerate rogue judges — especially when they threaten the President’s core Article II powers.”
Grace is a seasoned prosecutor and registered Republican who clerked for state Supreme Court Justice Stuart Rabner and with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Her appointment is effective as of Tuesday, according to an order signed by Chief Judge Renee Bumb.
The decision came just hours before Habba’s temporary term was set to expire. Habba, a former personal attorney for Trump, needed the support of New Jersey’s federal judges to continue.
Trump has sent her name to the U.S. Senate to be formally confirmed to the office. Both New Jersey senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, have said they would vote against her nomination if it ever came to a vote. The Senate is controlled by Republicans and has confirmed Trump’s nominations.
Yet, there is still a possibility Habba could remain on the job. After a similar showdown happened last week in the New York federal prosecutor’s office and the White House intervened. Following Tuesday’s decision, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche shared on X that Habba is: “President Trump’s choice to lead—and no partisan bench can override that.”
