Alina Habba announced Monday that she is stepping down as US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, citing a ruling by the Third Circuit and what she described as efforts to preserve the “stability and integrity” of the office.
In a statement released December 8, Habba highlighted her tenure under Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, saying her office helped make New Jersey safer by driving down crime, removing violent offenders from the streets, and securing major prosecutions. She pointed to Camden’s first murder-free summer in 50 years as one of the outcomes of that work.
Last week a federal appeals court ruled that Habba is unlawfully in the position. A panel of three judges on the 3rd US Circuit of Appeals upheld a lower court's decision which said that the Trump administration unlawfully appointed Habba to the position.
"Under the Government’s delegation theory, Habba may avoid the gauntlet of presidential appointment and Senate confirmation and serve as the de facto U.S. Attorney indefinitely,” the panel wrote in the ruling. “This view is so broad that it bypasses the constitutional (appointment and Senate confirmation) process entirely.”
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