Appeals court upholds ruling preventing Alina Habba from serving as acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey

On Monday, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court decision that disqualified Alina Habba, President Trump’s former personal attorney, from serving as the acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey – affirming that her appointment violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. In a unanimous ruling, the court concluded that Habba was unlawfully elevated to the role of acting U.S. attorney. The panel found that the administration’s multi-step strategy to keep her in the job sidestepped both statutory limits and the constitutional requirement for Senate confirmation. The dispute traces back to March, when Trump first named Habba