President Donald Trump has officially nominated attorney Alina Habba to serve a full four-year term as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, a move that is already generating political and legal controversy.
Habba, who previously served as Trump’s personal attorney and White House counsel, was appointed interim U.S. Attorney in March after the removal of John Giordano. The nomination now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it faces an uncertain path to confirmation.
Habba’s tenure as interim attorney has been marked by aggressive legal action, particularly against Democratic officials. In May, her office ordered the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on a trespassing charge related to a protest outside a federal immigration facility. The charge was quickly dismissed by a federal judge, who criticized the arrest as hasty and unjustified. Shortly afterward, U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver was indicted for allegedly assaulting a federal officer at the same facility—a charge her supporters call politically motivated.
Critics, including Senate Democrats and legal ethics groups, have expressed concern about Habba’s lack of prosecutorial experience and the overtly political direction of her office. Habba, a civil attorney by background, has never worked as a federal prosecutor. Nonetheless, she has pursued high-profile investigations into crime and immigration issues in several New Jersey cities, aligning closely with Trump’s “law and order” agenda.
Supporters argue Habba is restoring accountability and rule of law in Democratic strongholds where, they claim, illegal immigration and corruption have been ignored.
“Alina Habba has shown bold leadership and isn’t afraid to take on powerful interests,” a senior Trump campaign adviser said Tuesday. “She’s exactly what New Jersey needs.”
However, Senate Democrats are signaling they may invoke the “blue-slip” tradition to block her confirmation. Under this practice, home-state senators can effectively veto a U.S. attorney nomination if they object, and both of New Jersey’s senators are Democrats.
If confirmed, Habba would become one of the most politically prominent U.S. Attorneys in the country, tasked with overseeing federal prosecutions in a state that has become a political flashpoint in the 2024 and 2025 elections.
