Alina Habba Resigns After Court Ruling Blocks Her Appointment

Alina Habba, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced her resignation on Monday after the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled she could not continue in the role without Senate confirmation a decision being blasted as politically motivated and dangerous for public safety.

Habba, who had served in the role since March in an acting capacity, was forced to step down following the court’s ruling that her extended service violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, even as she led a fierce crackdown on violent crime and corruption in New Jersey.

“Do not mistake compliance for surrender,” Habba said in a powerful statement. “This decision will not weaken the Justice Department and it will not weaken me. My fight will now stretch across the country.”

Though stepping down, she will continue to serve as Senior Advisor to Attorney General Pam Bondi for U.S. Attorneys nationwide a move that signals she’s not backing down from the mission, just moving to a new front.

Attorney General Bondi blasted the ruling, calling it “flawed” and warning it would embolden criminals and undermine justice.

“Politicized judges have made it untenable for her to effectively run her office,” Bondi said, noting that trials were being paused due to legal challenges over Habba’s appointment. “These judges should not be able to countermand the president’s choice of attorneys entrusted with carrying out the executive branch’s core responsibility of prosecuting crime.”

While President Trump’s administration moved swiftly to empower prosecutors ready to tackle violent crime, Democrats led by Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim lobbied to block Habba’s tenure, citing procedural grounds but clearly motivated by political fear.

Their December 1 statement reads like a partisan press release:
“The Trump Administration’s attempt to bypass clear legal requirements to install a loyalist undermined the legitimacy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” the senators claimed, ignoring the surge in successful prosecutions under Habba’s leadership.

This was never about the law it was about power. Habba's aggressive pursuit of organized crime and her unapologetic alignment with Trump’s law-and-order vision made her a target. The same Democrats who spent years ignoring soaring crime rates in cities like Newark and Trenton suddenly discovered a new concern for bureaucratic procedure.

Here’s the real context:

• Violent crime in New Jersey rose sharply under Democrat leadership, with Trenton and Camden repeatedly ranking among the most dangerous cities in America.

• Under Habba, over 300 federal indictments were filed in seven months, targeting violent gangs, fentanyl traffickers, and corrupt officials.

• Habba’s appointment had support from dozens of local law enforcement officials who praised her aggressive, no-nonsense approach.

Now, thanks to judicial activism and political sabotage, those efforts are being disrupted.

The court’s decision is being appealed, and Bondi said she believes it will be reversed. If so, Habba could return to the position she has made her own a role in which she fearlessly pursued justice despite attacks from the media and D.C. elites.

“You can take the girl out of New Jersey,” Habba quipped, “but you can’t take New Jersey out of the girl.”

Her departure marks a loss for New Jersey but not the end of her fight.

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