Alina Habba announced Monday that she is stepping away from her position as Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey following a series of court rulings that challenged the legality of her service.
Habba, who previously served as President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, said she was voluntarily leaving the post after months of legal uncertainty surrounding her nomination and interim appointment.
In her statement, she wrote, “Do not mistake compliance for surrender.”
— Alina Habba (@AlinaHabba) December 8, 2025
Habba’s withdrawal followed the most recent decision from a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
The panel ruled that allowing her to continue serving without Senate confirmation would “effectively [permit] anyone to fill the U.S. Attorney role indefinitely,” adding that “this should raise a red flag.”
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The ruling presented a significant barrier to her ability to remain in office.
President Trump’s effort to install Habba as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey has faced repeated legal obstacles since her nomination began moving through the process.
After her initial nomination stalled in the Senate due to the “blue-slip” prerogative exercised by New Jersey’s Democratic senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, the administration reassigned her to a position as an assistant to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The courts later determined that this reassignment was not permissible and could jeopardize the validity of indictments or prosecutions issued under her leadership.
A previous judgment held that the administration’s workaround to keep Habba in place did not comply with statutory requirements.
Each time the appointment returned to the courts, the rulings curtailed the administration’s attempts to maintain her role in the state’s top federal prosecutor position.
Attorney General Bondi issued a statement reacting to the Third Circuit’s ruling and Habba’s subsequent resignation.
Bondi said she believed the decision was “flawed” and added that she was “saddened to accept Alina’s resignation.”
Bondi also described the outcome as “unfortunate,” pointing to crime statistics recorded during Habba’s time in office.
She noted that Newark experienced a 20 percent reduction in crime and reported that the city of Camden had no murders over the summer, a milestone she said had not occurred in 50 years.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) December 8, 2025
With Habba departing from the position, the administration is now preparing for the next phase of litigation.
Bondi stated that the Department of Justice intends to seek “further review” of the Third Circuit’s ruling.
She added that if the decision is reversed, Habba would return to her role as Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
For now, Habba will assume a new position within the Department of Justice.
Bondi said Habba will serve as Senior Advisor to the Attorney General for U.S. Attorneys, where she will “help drive the fight against violent crime nationwide.”
Habba indicated her continued commitment to the state where she sought to serve as its chief federal prosecutor.
In a message referencing her ongoing connection to New Jersey, she wrote, “You can take the girl out of New Jersey, but you cannot take the New Jersey out of the girl.”
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