N.J. federal judges sideline Alina Habba as top prosecutor, DOJ ousts her replacement
President Trump installed Habba, who had served as his personal attorney, on March 24 in an interim capacity. An appointee can lead a U.S. attorney's office for up to 120 days pending Senate confirmation. Habba was not formally nominated for the role until July 1 and has not been confirmed.
The state's district judges voted to replace her. Chief Judge Renée Bumb wrote in an order Tuesday that they appointed Habba's first assistant, longtime prosecutor Desiree Leigh Grace, to the role.
Hours later, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department had "removed" Grace, accusing "rogue judges" of "threatening" the president's constitutional powers.
A Justice Department official told CBS News that Grace is no longer with the department.
New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both Democrats, condemned Grace's removal.
"The firing of a career public servant, lawfully appointed by the court, is another blatant attempt to intimidate anyone that doesn't agree with them and undermine judicial independence," the two senators wrote in a joint statement.
CBS News has reached out to Grace for comment.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who in social media posts on Sunday and Monday urged the judges to keep Habba in the role, blasted their decision Tuesday.
Blanche accused the judges of "trying to force out" Habba, and serving "a left-wing agenda, not the rule of law."
"When judges act like activists, they undermine confidence in our justice system. Alina is President Trump's choice to lead—and no partisan bench can override that," Blanche wrote.
Habba did not immediately reply to a request for comment by CBS News.
Habba faced an uphill battle to secure Senate confirmation, which was opposed by the state's two Democratic senators.
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey praised the judges' decision in a social media post Tuesday, noting that Grace has been a federal prosecutor in the state since 2016.
"The people of New Jersey deserve a United States Attorney who will enforce the law without fear or favor, always in pursuit of the public interest and guided by the principles of impartiality and fairness," Booker wrote.
Habba's time in office was marked by clashes with Democrats. Her office charged Newark Mayor Ras Baraka with criminal trespassing and U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver with assault after a May protest at an immigration facility.
The charges against Baraka were dropped, and McIver entered a not guilty plea.
Habba was previously counselor to the president early in his second term. For several years prior, she was a lead attorney on many of his most high-profile civil cases, including a New York state fraud case and a defamation case involving the writer E. Jean Carroll. A judge and a jury in those cases found Mr. Trump liable for about half a billion dollars in damages and disgorgement.
Ozzy Osbourne, heavy metal pioneer, dies at age 76
Extended interview: Jake Wesley Rogers on faith, identity and his debut album
Video shows conditions inside New York City immigrant detention facility
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
2 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Trump moves to shut down NASA missions that measure carbon dioxide and plant health
The Trump administration is moving to shut down two NASA missions that monitor a potent greenhouse gas and plant health, potentially shutting off an important source of data for scientists, policymakers and farmers. President Donald Trump's budget request for fiscal year 2026 includes no money for the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, which can precisely show where carbon dioxide is being emitted and absorbed and how well crops are growing. NASA said in an emailed statement Wednesday that the missions were 'beyond their prime mission' and being terminated 'to align with the President's agenda and budget priorities.' But the missions — a free-flying satellite launched in 2014 and an instrument attached to the International Space Station in 2019 that include technology used in the Hubble Space Telescope — still are more sensitive and accurate than any other systems in the world, operating or planned, and a 'national asset' that should be saved, said David Crisp, a retired NASA scientist who led their development. They helped scientists discover, for example, that the Amazon rain forest emits more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, while boreal forests in Canada, Russia and places where permafrost is melting absorb more than they emit, Crisp said. They also can detect the 'glow' of photosynthesis in plants, which helps monitor drought and predict food shortages that can lead to civil unrest and famine, he said. 'This is really critical,' Crisp said. 'We're learning so much about this rapidly changing planet.' The decision to end the missions is 'extremely shortsighted,' said Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan. 'The observations provided by these satellites ... (are) critical for managing growing climate change impacts around the planet, including in the U.S.,' he said. Looking to Congress Crisp and others hope Congress will vote to preserve funding for the missions, which are funded through the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. A bill in the House closely aligns with the president's request and would eliminate the missions, while a Senate version preserves them. But with Congress in recess, it is unclear whether a budget will be adopted before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1. If it doesn't, Congress could adopt a resolution to continue current funding until a budget is passed, though some lawmakers fear the Trump administration could try to delay or withhold that money. Congressional Democrats warned acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy last month that it would be illegal to terminate missions or impound funds already appropriated by Congress. Experts said the administration's move to eliminate funding aligns with other actions to cut or bury climate science. 'The principle seems to be that if we stop measuring climate change it will just disappear from the American consciousness,' said University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann. Backup plan Crisp and others also are trying to put together a coalition of outside partners — including from Japan and Europe — that could fund and operate the instrument attached to the space station. NASA said it will accept outside proposals through Aug. 29. The free-flying satellite, though, is at risk of being brought down, meaning it would burn up in the atmosphere. National Public Radio first reported that NASA employees were making plans to end the missions. Crisp said advocates are hoping NASA also allows outside control of that satellite, which covers more of the globe, but there are legal hurdles to overcome because it would mean giving control of a U.S. satellite to a group that could include foreign partners. 'We're going out to billionaires. We're going out to foundations,' Crisp said. 'But ... it's a really, really bad idea to try and push it off onto private industry or private individuals or private donors. It just doesn't make sense.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
CNN
2 minutes ago
- CNN
Apple CEO gifts Trump plaque with 24K gold base
Apple CEO gifts Trump plaque with 24K gold base Apple CEO Tim Cook gifted President Donald Trump a plaque made of glass manufactured in Corning's Harrodsburg, Kentucky, which he announced would be the cover glass on all iPhones and Apple Watches soon. 01:01 - Source: CNN Automated CNN Shorts 11 videos Apple CEO gifts Trump plaque with 24K gold base Apple CEO Tim Cook gifted President Donald Trump a plaque made of glass manufactured in Corning's Harrodsburg, Kentucky, which he announced would be the cover glass on all iPhones and Apple Watches soon. 01:01 - Source: CNN How Corey Lewandowski's power keeps growing Corey Lewandowski is wielding an unusual amount of influence in his unique role as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's chief adviser. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez reports. 01:27 - Source: CNN Suspected Fort Stewart shooter identified The man suspected of opening fire at Fort Stewart has been identified as Quornelius Radford, according to Brig. Gen. John Lubas, the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division. The suspect is alive and in custody, a law enforcement official told CNN. 01:09 - Source: CNN 911 calls and bodycam footage sheds light on Manhattan gunman's troubled past Newly released police reports and body camera footage are shedding light on the troubled path that led a shooter on a cross-country drive from his home in Las Vegas to the skyscraper in Manhattan where he killed four people last week before turning the gun on himself. CNN's Brynn Gingras reports. 01:32 - Source: CNN See how ICE's arrest tactics differ in red and blue states A CNN analysis shows that ICE follows starkly different playbooks in how it's arresting immigrants in red and blue states. CNN's Isabelle Chapman reports. 01:07 - Source: CNN Why Trump is threatening India with 50% tariffs In addition to Trump's 25% reciprocal tariffs set to take effect on Thursday, President Trump announced an additional 25% tariff to punish India for importing Russian oil and gas. CNN's Phil Mattingly explains why the Trump Administration is playing hardball with the world's fifth largest economy and one of America's most important trading partners. 01:35 - Source: CNN Five soldiers hospitalized in shooting at Fort Stewart Five soldiers were shot at Fort Stewart in Georgia, according to Fort Stewart Hunter Army Airfield. The suspected shooter is an Army sergeant and is in custody, according to a law enforcement official. 00:30 - Source: CNN Opinion: Van Jones: if you believe in democracy, the Voting Rights Act should be sacred CNN Senior Political Commentator Van Jones commemorates the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act by recalling how civil rights activists fought for the bill, and how the Texas state Democratic lawmakers' current bid to prevent Republicans' gerrymandering efforts honors democracy and a 'meaningful right to vote.' 01:56 - Source: CNN Women in Gaza face their periods without adequate supplies Women in Gaza say they feel "embarrassed" and degraded by the dire hygiene situation in the enclave. Israel's aid blockade has deprived women of essential supplies like sanitary pads, tampons and soap while access to clean water remains scarce. Mother of six, Ghadeer Nassar told CNN how she has been forced to cut up pieces of old cloth to fashion makeshift sanitary pads for her teenage daughter. 01:44 - Source: CNN Great Barrier Reef sees record coral bleaching According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), parts of the Great Barrier Reef suffered their biggest-ever declines last year after a marine heatwave bleached vast swaths of hard coral. 00:55 - Source: CNN
Associated Press
2 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Federal agents hid in back of rental truck at start of raid outside LA Home Depot
LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. Border Patrol agents jumped out of the back of a rented box truck and made arrests Wednesday at a Los Angeles Home Depot store during an immigration raid that an agency official called 'Operation Trojan Horse.' The early morning raid near downtown LA came just days after a federal appeals court upheld a federal judge's order blocking the Trump administration from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in Southern California. 'For those who thought immigration enforcement had stopped in Southern California, think again,' acting U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli posted on the social platform X after the raid. 'The enforcement of federal law is not negotiable and there are no sanctuaries from the reach of the federal government.' Messages were sent to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security seeking details on the raid, including how many people were arrested. U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Greg Bovino reposted Fox News reports of Monday's arrests on X, calling the action 'Operation Trojan Horse.' Photos on social media showed the moment the rear door of the rented Penske truck opened, revealing several uniformed agents with guns. A spokesperson for Penske Truck Rental said the company was looking into the use of its vehicles by federal officials, saying its regulations prohibit transporting people in truck cargo areas. 'The company was not made aware that its trucks would be used in today's operation and did not authorize this,' spokesperson Randolph P. Ryerson said in an email. 'Penske will reach out to DHS and reinforce its policy to avoid improper use of its vehicles in the future.' Since June, the Los Angeles region has been a battleground in the Trump administration's aggressive immigration strategy that spurred protests and the deployment of the National Guards and Marines for more than a month. Federal agents have rounded up immigrants without legal status to be in the U.S. from Home Depots, car washes, bus stops, and farms. Some U.S. citizens have also been detained. Lupe Carrasco Cardona, an educator with Union del Barrio, said members of her advocacy group were conducting regular patrols at the Home Depot early Monday when they saw a Penske truck pull into the parking lot, advertising work to the day laborers there. Immigrant workers, some with legal status and others without, often wait in Home Depot parking lots to be hired for various day jobs. 'They opened the back, they hopped out and they started indiscriminately just grabbing people,' Cardona said. Unmarked white vans with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrived shortly after the truck to participate in the operation, Cardona said. The organization has identified three street vendors and four day laborers that were arrested, but they were still trying to account for others. Family members said one street vendor tried to show evidence of holding asylum before he was arrested, she said. Last month, a federal judge temporarily blocked federal agents from using racial profiling to carry out indiscriminate arrests after the ACLU, Public Counsel and other advocacy groups sued over the practices. Attorneys for the government argued that the order hinders agents from carrying out immigration enforcement, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal on Friday upheld the order. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has previously said that 'enforcement operations are highly targeted.' The National Day Laborer Organizing Network condemned Wednesday's raid, calling targeted workers the backbone of the local economy. 'Today's raid staged by agents in cowboy hats jumping out of a rented van with a TV crew in tow marks a dangerous escalation in the Trump Administration's assault on immigrant communities, the courts, and the people of Los Angeles,' Pablo Alvarado, the group's co-executive director, said in a statement.
