Alina Habba Faces Federal Judges Over Her Job
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Alina Habba is facing federal judges on Monday in a meeting that will decide if she will step down or continue in her current role as the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
President Donald Trump, for whom Habba previously served as personal legal counsel, announced her appointment to the role on March 24.
Habba's 120-day interim appointment is set to expire at midnight on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, unless extended by federal judges or Senate confirmation.
Newsweek contacted Habba for comment via email on Monday
Alina Habba speaks after being sworn in as interim US Attorney General for New Jersey, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on March 28, 2025.
Alina Habba speaks after being sworn in as interim US Attorney General for New Jersey, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on March 28, 2025.
Associated Press
Why It Matters
Alina Habba's temporary 120-day term as acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey will end if there is no confirmed extension. Federal judges are weighing whether to reappoint her or name a successor—an unresolved decision that could affect leadership, ongoing investigations, and prosecutorial direction in the state's top federal office.
What To Know
Federal judges in New Jersey are meeting Monday to consider whether to reappoint Habba or select a new acting U.S. Attorney, with no final decision yet publicly confirmed.
Habba was sued by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for false arrest, malicious prosecution and defamation after his arrest during a protest an immigration detention center in Newark on May 9.
Habba dropped a trespassing charge against Barak that month.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has urged judges not to affirm her role. "The so-called U.S. Attorney in NJ maliciously indicted Congresswoman LaMonica McIver for doing her job. Alina Habba is a woefully unqualified political hack who has to go," he said on X on July 18. "She must be rejected by the Federal District Court judges who are considering whether to retain her."
Nonprofit advocacy organization The Article III Project filed a House ethics complaint against Jeffries, following his social media post.
What Are People Saying
The Trump administrations top civil rights lawyer, Harmeet K. Dhillon, said on Monday: "Who's delivering results for the American people? Alina Habba is doing a great job indicting criminals and putting Americans first — which begs the question when someone is doing their job so well, why would a politician pressure judges to undermine her?"
Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker, the Democrats from New Jersey, said of Habba in a joint statement on July 2: "In her short tenure as interim US Attorney, she has degraded the office and pursued frivolous and politically motivated prosecutions. It's clear that Alina Habba does not meet the standard to serve the people of New Jersey."
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee who previously worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office, said Habba is unqualified for the job, and had no prosecutorial experience when Trump appointed her in an interim capacity in March, adding: "Habba has explicitly stated her goal to politicize the office where I served as a prosecutor, and as acting U.S. Attorney, she has already weaponized it against her perceived political opponents."
What Happens Next
The judicial decision is expected to later on Monday.
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