FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media, after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the power of federal judges by restricting their ability to grant broad legal relief in cases as the justices acted in a legal fight over President Donald Trump's bid to limit birthright citizenship, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo
A federal court delivered President Donald Trump another blow Monday in his efforts to prosecute his political enemies after ruling that Alina Habba – appointed at the behest of Trump as acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey – was unlawfully appointed and must vacate her position.
According to Politico reporter Kyle Cheney, the three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, affirmed Monday a previous ruling that disqualified Habba from the position. Habba was appointed in an interim capacity starting in March, though Trump sought to keep her in the job after she filed multiple criminal charges against Democratic officials.
This comes shortly after another Trump-appointed state prosecutor – Lindsey Halligan – was also booted from her role after a court determined her appointment to be unlawful, a decision that sank the Trump administration’s attempt to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey, leaving many in MAGA world outraged.BREAKING: 3rd Circuit rules HABBA is disqualified as U.S. attorney in NJ, and she can’t hold the role as an acting either. pic.twitter.com/hC7uPME3TY
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) December 1, 2025
