New Jersey Federal Judges Reject Alina Habba, Appoint Desiree Grace Interim US Attorney

Federal judges in New Jersey have declined to retain Alina Habba, President Donald Trump's interim appointee and former personal lawyer, as the state's U.S. attorney after her 120-day term expired. Instead, they appointed Desiree Leigh Grace, Habba's first assistant and a career federal prosecutor, as the interim head. Habba's tenure was marked by controversy, including investigations into Democratic officials and criminal charges against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Representative LaMonica McIver, with criticism over prosecutorial decisions in those cases. Despite criticism and opposition from New Jersey’s Democratic senators, Habba maintained support from the Justice Department and President Trump, who has yet to respond publicly to the court's decision. There remains a possibility for Habba to continue in some capacity through alternative appointments, similar to a workaround used in New York for another Trump appointee. This judicial rejection signals a significant rebuke of one of the Trump administration’s more polarizing Justice Department figures in New Jersey.