The top prosecutor in New Jersey was fired by the Justice Department as a power struggle between the White House and a group of "rogue" federal judges came to a head.
Attorney general Pam Bondi fired career prosecutor Desiree Leigh Grace shortly after she was tapped to replace interim U.S. attorney Alina Habba, a former Trump lawyer and loyal supporter of the president.
The Justice Department cast Leigh's appointment as a corrupt conspiracy by "activist" judges and Democrats to derail Trump's chosen pick, Habba.
The president nominates U.S. attorneys, who then must receive confirmation by a vote of the Senate to serve permanently.
Trump named Habba to be New Jersey's top prosecutor in March and formally nominated her to the role on July 1, but her confirmation has been stalled as New Jersey Senators Cory Booker (D) and Andy Kim (D) refuse to support her.
Acting U.S. attorneys can serve for up to 120 days without Senate approval. District courts may extend that window or name their own pick.
A panel of judges in New Jersey chose the latter option, rejecting Habba in favor of Grace, a career prosecutor since 2016. A registered Republican, Grace led the criminal division in Habba's office before Habba chose her to be her deputy.
Grace is a more traditional - and for Democrats, more palatable - choice than Habba, who became known during the 2024 presidential campaign as Trump's outspoken attorney as he faced an onslaught of civil and criminal cases brought by his Democratic foes.
During her brief tenure as U.S. attorney, Habba brought federal charges against two Democrats in New Jersey who were involved in a scuffle with immigration enforcement. She later dropped trespassing charges against one of those Democrats, Newark mayor Ras Baraka.
"The firing of a career public servant, lawfully appointed by the court, is another blatant attempt to intimidate anyone that doesn’t agree with them and undermine judicial independence,” senators Kim and Booker said of Grace's firing. “This Administration may not like the law, but they are not above it.”
Meanwhile, Trump's DOJ condemned Habba's dismissal as an effort by partisan judges and Democrats in Congress to control Trump and step on his lawful authority.
"The district judges in NJ just proved this was never about law—it was about politics. They forced out President Trump’s pick, @USAttyHabba, then installed her deputy, colluding with the NJ Senators along the way. It won’t work. Pursuant to the President’s authority, we have removed that deputy, effective immediately. This backroom vote will not override the authority of the Chief Executive," said deputy attorney general Todd Blanche.
Attorney general Pam Bondi also ripped the "politically minded judges" who removed Habba from her role.
“Nonetheless, politically minded judges refused to allow her to continue in her position, replacing Alina with the First Assistant. Accordingly, the First Assistant United States Attorney in 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 posted on X.
