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President Donald Trump has doubled Alina Haba’s appointment after a federal judge in New Jersey refused to extend her term as an interim US lawyer and chose to replace her with another prosecutor.
A rare series of events has led to confusion as to who will become the next interim US lawyer for the New Jersey area, as Haba’s 120-day term expires this week.
A White House spokesman said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital that Trump supports Haba as a permanent US lawyer.
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President Donald Trump makes a statement before White House presidential counselor Alina Haba is sworn in as interim US lawyer for the White House oval office in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) on March 28, 2025
“President Trump is totally confident in Alina Haba, who has made the yard state and nation safer because of her job as a US lawyer for the New Jersey area,” said White House spokesman Harrison Fields. “The Trump administration is looking forward to a final confirmation in the US Senate and will work tirelessly to ensure that New Jersey people are well represented.”
But Haba’s vote in the Senate doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. Two New Jersey Democrats, Corey Booker and Andy Kim, are currently blocking Haba’s nomination through the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition, and anyone familiar with the process said the Senate has not received the necessary materials to review her nomination in any case.
In the meantime, the inexplicable laws surrounding the authority to fill federal vacancy have become appropriate.
Trump appointed Haba as a temporary U.S. lawyer in March, but his term expires on Friday, according to the Justice Department. The statute shows that a federal judge has the authority to extend or vote on the term of an interim US lawyer on behalf of that person.
New Jersey district court judges, most of whom were appointed by the Democratic president, were convened closed doors on Monday and chose to replace Haba with Digily Grace, the first career DOJ prosecutor since 2016.
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Trump’s lawyer Alina Haba will speak at the then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign rally on October 29, 2024 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Image)
However, Attorney General Pam Bondy argued that the judge voted to replace Haba, which violated Trump’s authority to appoint a US lawyer. Bondi said he “removed” the grace in response to the judge’s actions.
“[Habba] Bondi said in a statement. “Nevertheless, the politically hearted judge refused to continue her position and replaced Alina with her first assistant. Therefore, New Jersey’s first assistant US lawyer has just been removed.”
I couldn’t reach grace for the comments. An anonymous source with knowledge of the matter told the New York Times that she received an email informing her that Grace had been fired Tuesday.
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Photographed September 4, 2018, Senator Corey Booker, DN.J., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He speaks at a hearing at Capitol Hill, Washington, at the nomination hearing for the committee’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. (AP)
A Habba spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Habba remains a US lawyer until Friday. However, tensions between the DOJ and the judges have opened up the question of who will assume the role that comes on Saturday.
Booker said firing of court-appointed US lawyers is part of a “pattern” for DOJs that disregard the law.
“The dismissal of career civil servants legally appointed by the court is another blatant attempt to intimidate those who disagree with them and undermine the independence of the judicial system,” Booker writes in X.
Booker is one of the critics who deemed him a Haba ineligible for the job. Haba, who served as Trump’s legal spokeswoman and personal defense attorney during criminal prosecution, had no experience as a prosecutor before Trump appointed her as the chief prosecutor in New Jersey.
After robbing her job, Haba was accused of politicizing the role after advocating for turning New Jersey into “red,” and then elicited rare responsibilities from the judge for arresting the Democratic mayor of Newark and dismissing the charges shortly thereafter.
But Trump and DOJ’s leadership stand firm by Haba. The Trump administration discovered a workaround in the Upstate New York district when John Salcone’s term as a US lawyer recently expired, but it is unclear whether HABBA would have similar options available.
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Anne Joseph O’Connell, a professor at Stanford Law School, writes to Bruski that he believes Trump has the authority to fire Grace and resubmit Haba to provide another temporary term.
“The question now is, will they name Haba for the new 120-day interim US lawyer appointment or relying on the Vacancy Act and calling another person a role as a US lawyer,” O’Connell writes.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, covering the Department of Justice and legal affairs. Email story tips to Ashley.oliver@fox.com.
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