Alina Habba becomes Bondi advisor, leaving role as top New Jersey prosecutor

Alina Habba, a fiery Trump loyalist, is stepping down from her role as top prosecutor in New Jersey after an appellate court found last week that Attorney General Pam Bondi had improperly appointed her as U.S. attorney.

Bondi announced Monday Habba would serve as the attorney general's senior advisor overseeing U.S. attorneys, while three Department of Justice officials are set to take on additional jobs overseeing various activities in the New Jersey court district in the wake of Habba's resignation.

"The court’s ruling has made it untenable for her to effectively run her office, with politicized judges pausing trials designed to bring violent criminals to justice," Bondi said in a statement.

Bondi said the DOJ will "seek further review" of the appellate court's decision and that the department was "confident it will be reversed." Habba intends to return as U.S. attorney in New Jersey if that is the case, Bondi said.

TRUMP HIT WITH SETBACK AS COURT RULES ALINA HABBA UNLAWFULLY SERVED AS TOP FEDERAL PROSECUTOR IN NEW JERSEY

President Donald Trump speaks before Attorney General Pam Bondi swears in Alina Habba as interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 28, 2025.  (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Habba served as President Donald Trump's personal defense lawyer before the president installed her this year as the temporary head of the New Jersey office.

Once Habba's term expired, the administration took a series of unconventional steps to attempt to reinstate her, but a three-judge panel found last week that federal vacancy laws did not permit Trump and the DOJ to sidestep the Senate confirmation process to keep Habba in charge.

Habba said in her statement of her new position that her "fight will now stretch across the country" while the court battle over her appointment proceeds.

"Make no mistake, you can take the girl out of New Jersey, but you cannot take New Jersey out of the girl," Habba said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Habba's resignation on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The DOJ plans to delegate the U.S. attorney responsibilities in New Jersey to three officials, Philip Lamparello, Jordan Fox and Ari Fontecchio.

"I have full confidence in each of these exceptional attorneys and look forward to our continued collaboration as we make New Jersey and America safe again," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.

Habba's departure comes as Trump has struggled to keep his preferred appointees in place in blue states, where the Senate has a tradition of requiring home-state senators to approve of the U.S. attorneys and district court judges serving there.

In a separate case, a federal judge found Lindsey Halligan, a former insurance lawyer and White House aide, was unlawfully serving as the head of the Eastern District of Virginia. In a statement Monday, DOJ leaders rebuffed that finding by calling Halligan a "U.S. attorney" and a victim of judicial bias.

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Halligan had quickly brought indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, but the judge tossed out both cases after finding Halligan lacked the authority to bring them.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.