Donald Trump’s former personal representative Alina Habba has been disbarred from serving as New Jersey’s attorney, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled Monday. In a statement last year, Trump called Habba a “tireless advocate for justice” who was “unwaveringly loyal” and appointed Habba in March as interim U.S. attorney general for New Jersey.
On Monday, Dec. 1, a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Philadelphia, ruled that Habba was illegally appointed as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor and removed her from overseeing the cases.
Who is Alina Habba?
Alina Habba – 41 – was once a relatively obscure legal figure who came to represent Trump in some of his most dangerous cases – including one where she notably clashed with a judge during a libel trial, the BBC report mentioned.
After graduating from university, Habba took a job in the fashion industry, working for Marc Jacobs – one of the leading American brands. After a few years in the industry, she returned to college and earned her law degree in 2010 from Widener University, a small school in Pennsylvania.
She then briefly clerked for then-New Jersey Superior Court Judge Eugene Codey Jr. before going into private practice. After several years in the field, she founded her own law firm in 2020.
The mother of three – Habba – joined Trump’s personal legal team in 2021 after reportedly meeting him at his country club in Bedminster, New Jersey – where her law firm is also based.
Habba’s latest disqualification as a lawyer in New Jersey comes amid a push by Trump’s Republican administration to keep Habba as the acting U.S. attorney — a powerful position tasked with enforcing federal criminal and civil law, the AP reported.
What is the controversy about Alina Habba?
Earlier this year, in August, a federal judge ruled that Habb’s appointment was “unlawful,” although the judge’s order was stayed as the trial continued at the appeals court.
In a summer ruling, U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann expressed concern that Trump appointed Habba in March as interim U.S. attorney — a role that can only be held for 120 days. According to a report by NBC News, Judge Brann said in his ruling that while Trump nominated Habba to serve as permanent counsel, the Senate did not accept her nomination.
“It is clear that the current administration has been frustrated by some of the legal and political obstacles in getting its appointees. Its efforts to elevate its preferred nominee for U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, to the role of acting U.S. attorney demonstrate the difficulties it has faced — yet the citizens of New Jersey and the loyal court staff of the clayrit and stability in the U.S. attorney’s office deserve a 32-page opinion on Monday, December 1.”
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