In an escalation of a fight with the judiciary, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the official who was set to replace President Donald Trump’s former lawyer as the top federal prosecutor for New Jersey “has just been removed.”
“This Department of Justice does not tolerate rogue judges — especially when they threaten the President’s core Article II powers,” Bondi announced in a post on X July 22.
Earlier in the day, a panel of judges declined to permanently appoint Alina Habba, whom Trump chose to be the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey in March. That set up Desiree Grace, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, for the top role in the office.
The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, including on whether Grace has been completely removed from the Justice Department and what the announcement means for the top New Jersey prosecutorial role.
Grace has served in the New Jersey office for almost nine years, according to her LinkedIn page. She couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.
Habba’s brief tenure as New Jersey’s interim U.S. attorney included the filing of multiple legal actions against Democratic elected officials.
Her office brought criminal charges against Democratic U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, as she and other members of Congress and Newark’s Democratic mayor, Ras Baraka, tried to visit an immigration detention center.
Habba’s office charged McIver with two counts of assaulting and impeding a law enforcement officer. McIver has pleaded not guilty. Habba’s office did not follow Justice Department rules which require prosecutors to seek permission from the Public Integrity Section before bringing criminal charges against a member of Congress for conduct related to their official duties.
Habba’s office also charged Baraka, but later dropped the case, prompting a federal magistrate judge to criticize her office for its handling of the matter.
Until March, Habba had never worked as a prosecutor. She repesented President Donald Trump in a number of civil cases while he was out of office.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alina Habba’s successor fired afer judges reject Trump’s pick
