Trump-Aligned Prosecutor Steps Down After Legal Fight; Bondi Accepts Resignation, Keeps Habba As Senior DOJ Advisor

Monday, December 8, 2025, 4:00 P.M. ET. 6 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

NEWARK, NJ.- Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney to the Attorney General Alina Habba resigned Monday as the top federal prosecutor for the District of New Jersey, bringing to a close a months-long legal and political battle over her appointment that had become one of the most contentious federal court fights of President Donald Trump’s second term.

     Attorney General Pam Bondi formally accepted Habba’s resignation, confirming that while Habba is stepping away from the New Jersey post, she will remain at the Department of Justice as a Senior Advisor to the Attorney General on United States Attorney matters nationwide.

     The resignation follows last week’s unanimous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which determined that Habba’s continued service as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, affirming a prior district court disqualification that removed her authority over prosecutions in the state.

     In a statement released Monday afternoon, Habba said she was stepping down “to protect the stability and integrity of this office and the cases entrusted to it,” while making clear she is far from retreating from public service.

     “Do not mistake compliance for surrender,” Habba wrote. “This decision will not weaken the Justice Department, and it certainly will not weaken me.”

Bondi Praises Habba, Keeps Her In Inner DOJ Circle;

     Attorney General Bondi praised Habba’s service and emphasized that her influence inside the Justice Department will continue.

     “Alina Habba served with conviction, courage, and unwavering loyalty to the rule of law,” Bondi said in a statement. “Although court rulings require this change, I am grateful that she will continue advising me on U.S. Attorney matters at the national level.”

     The DOJ’s personnel notice later confirmed Habba’s appointment as Senior Advisor, a role that places her at the center of prosecutorial oversight across multiple federal districts, a clear sign that President Trump and Attorney General Bondi remain firmly in her corner.

From Trump Defender To New Jersey’s Chief Federal Prosecutor;

     Habba rose to national prominence as one of President Trump’s most vocal and aggressive courtroom defenders, representing him in numerous high-profile civil and criminal matters.

     In March 2025, Trump appointed Habba as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, later elevating her to Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney to the Attorney General, a rare dual designation that expanded her supervisory authority beyond traditional limits.

     At the time of her appointment, Habba pledged to take on violent crime, corruption, and what she called a “culture of selective justice” that had long plagued New Jersey.

     Standing outside the White House, she sharply criticized state leadership, declaring that “Senator Cory Booker and Governor Phil Murphy have failed the people of New Jersey,” and vowed to “Make New Jersey Great Again” by restoring aggressive, uniform federal enforcement.

A Tenure Defined By Aggressive Law Enforcement;

     Despite relentless political opposition and legal challenges, Habba’s office advanced several hardline enforcement initiatives aligned with President Trump and Attorney General Bondi’s national law-and-order agenda:

• Fentanyl Precursor Interdiction: Habba launched a district-wide strike force targeting international supply chains fueling New Jersey’s deadly fentanyl epidemic.
• Election Integrity Task Force: A federal task force was established to investigate voter fraud, intimidation, and election interference ahead of upcoming election cycles.
• Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Prosecutions: Her office secured major convictions in multi-state child sex trafficking operations, including a 121-month federal sentence in a high-profile minor trafficking conspiracy.

     Law enforcement officials say Habba’s leadership restored urgency to prosecutions that had previously stagnated.

     “While politicians were fighting over technicalities, Habba’s team was putting traffickers and violent offenders behind bars,” one senior federal official told Englebrook Independent News.

Booker and Kim Focused on Trump, Not New Jersey, Critics Say;

     Throughout Habba’s tenure, Democratic Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim aggressively opposed her appointment, repeatedly framing her as an unlawful political operative rather than collaborating on public safety priorities.

      After last week’s appellate ruling, both senators issued celebratory statements declaring Habba’s appointment invalid, while offering no acknowledgment of the trafficking rings dismantled, the fentanyl seizures made, or the victims protected under her leadership.

     Critics argue that Booker and Kim devoted more energy to fighting President Trump than to confronting the crime crises impacting their own state.

     Kim, elected in 2024, joined Booker in establishing a Senate delegation unified almost exclusively by resistance to Trump’s Justice Department agenda, a posture that sharply contrasted with the daily realities facing New Jersey communities grappling with overdose deaths, violent crime, and political corruption. 

The Legal Battle Over Authority;

     At the center of the case was whether the Trump administration and Attorney General Bondi lawfully continued Habba’s leadership under federal vacancy statutes after a judicial panel attempted to install a different prosecutor.

     Defense attorneys challenged her authority in multiple federal cases, prompting a district judge to disqualify her. The Third Circuit upheld that ruling last week, forcing today’s resignation.

     Habba has made clear that the administration plans further legal review, and she has not ruled out returning should future rulings allow.

A Polarizing Figure Who Says She Is Not Finished;

     Civil rights groups condemned Habba’s Election Integrity Task Force as intimidation. Meanwhile, Bondi recently confirmed that a man attempted to confront Habba at her Newark office just weeks ago, damaging property before fleeing, underscoring the personal danger tied to her role.

     Yet supporters see Habba as one of the most aggressive anti-crime prosecutors New Jersey has seen in years.

     From her new advisory role at Main Justice, Habba is now positioned to shape federal prosecutions nationwide, with a broader reach than she ever held inside New Jersey.

     And as Monday’s resignation statement made unmistakably clear, Alina Habba is not stepping away from the battlefield; she is shifting it.

Editor’s Note:

This article is based on official statements from the U.S. Department of Justice and Attorney General Pam Bondi, court rulings from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and public records from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

Englebrook Independent News adheres strictly to fact-based reporting supported by public documentation and verifiable sources. Coverage will continue as new developments in leadership emerge within the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office.