Federal judges replace Alina Habba as interim U.S. attorney in New Jersey

Federal judges in New Jersey on Tuesday chose not to keep President Donald Trump's ally Alina Habba as the interim U.S. attorney for the state, choosing to replace her with a deputy until a permanent U.S. attorney is confirmed by the Senate.

New Jersey's 17 U.S. District Court judges made the decision as Habba's 120-day term winds down. Habba has been serving in the post on an interim basis since the end of March, but has been nominated to serve in the post permanently. 

Chief Judge for the District of New Jersey Renée Marie Bumb ruled Desiree Leigh Grace has been named U.S. attorney for New Jersey, meaning the judges declined to extend Habba's role, which expired Tuesday. However, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed Habba's interim role ends on Friday instead.

"The district court judges in NJ are trying to force out [Habba] before her term expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday," Blanche wrote on X. "Their rush reveals what this was always about: 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."

The situation is similar to what a judicial review panel in the Northern District of New York faced last week, where the district's judges declined to sign off on Attorney General Pam Bondi's pick, John Sarcone III, for U.S. attorney, after he completed his 120-days as interim U.S. attorney.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.