US Appeals Court Disqualifies Trump's Former Lawyer Alina Habba from Serving as NJ Top Federal Prosecutor
A panel of judges from the US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with a lower court judge, ruling that Alina Habba, Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, is disqualified from serving as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor. The decision comes after Habba's administration-manoeuvred appointment to the role was challenged by several defendants, who sought to block her prosecution of their cases.
The appeals court ruled that Habba's actions since July could be invalidated, stating that she "has not been lawfully serving" as US Attorney for New Jersey. The judges concluded that the current administration's efforts to keep Habba in place were a sign of the difficulties faced by the Trump administration in getting its appointees into key positions.
Habba had been appointed to serve as acting US Attorney for New Jersey after her temporary appointment expired, but several defendants challenged the move, arguing she lacked the authority to prosecute their cases. The appeals court ruling comes amid growing concerns about the Trump administration's tactics in keeping certain appointees in place despite legal and political challenges.
The decision is similar to another case involving Lindsey Halligan, a federal prosecutor who was unlawfully appointed to lead a criminal investigation against former FBI Director James Comey. A lower court judge had previously ruled that Habba's appointment was invalid, citing "novel series of legal and personnel moves" made by the Trump administration.
In a statement after the hearing, Habba argued that she was fighting on behalf of other candidates for federal prosecutors who had been denied Senate hearings. The ruling comes as several high-profile cases involving Habba have raised questions about her suitability to serve as US Attorney for New Jersey.
A panel of judges from the US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with a lower court judge, ruling that Alina Habba, Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, is disqualified from serving as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor. The decision comes after Habba's administration-manoeuvred appointment to the role was challenged by several defendants, who sought to block her prosecution of their cases.
The appeals court ruled that Habba's actions since July could be invalidated, stating that she "has not been lawfully serving" as US Attorney for New Jersey. The judges concluded that the current administration's efforts to keep Habba in place were a sign of the difficulties faced by the Trump administration in getting its appointees into key positions.
Habba had been appointed to serve as acting US Attorney for New Jersey after her temporary appointment expired, but several defendants challenged the move, arguing she lacked the authority to prosecute their cases. The appeals court ruling comes amid growing concerns about the Trump administration's tactics in keeping certain appointees in place despite legal and political challenges.
The decision is similar to another case involving Lindsey Halligan, a federal prosecutor who was unlawfully appointed to lead a criminal investigation against former FBI Director James Comey. A lower court judge had previously ruled that Habba's appointment was invalid, citing "novel series of legal and personnel moves" made by the Trump administration.
In a statement after the hearing, Habba argued that she was fighting on behalf of other candidates for federal prosecutors who had been denied Senate hearings. The ruling comes as several high-profile cases involving Habba have raised questions about her suitability to serve as US Attorney for New Jersey.
cant believe this 
the politics is just getting out of hand in the US its like they cant even appoint someone properly anymore 
alina habba was already acting us attorney and now she gets disqualified just because some defendants didnt want her around 
its all about playing games and trying to undermine each other 
this is so frustrating 
. it just goes to show how politicized everything has become, even in places like law enforcement where you'd think there would be some semblance of objectivity left 
. anyway, i hope habba gets to be a real prosecutor one day and not just some pawn in this game 
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. and now the court has to step in and be all like "nope, not gonna happen" 
. maybe they should just stick to tweeting about how unfair it is instead 
.
? and what about those defendants who were going up against her in court? shouldn't they have had their day in court first? i don't get why the appeals court is just swooping in now to disqualify her, it feels like they're more worried about the Trump admin's mess than actual justice being served 
. and another thing, if she was really fighting for other candidates shouldn't she be trying to change the system instead of just using it as an excuse? 
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. Like, seriously, who tries to keep their own lawyer on the job despite all these challenges? It's like something out of a movie, like that one scene from "House of Cards" where Frank Underwood's got some shady stuff goin' down 
. Anyway, it's pretty clear that Habba was just trying to score some points for the Trump camp, but I guess that backfired 
...
The fact that the appeals court ruled she wasn't lawfully serving as US Attorney for NJ is a major win for accountability and transparency in government. 
Kudos to the judges who spoke truth to power! 
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. Even if Habba does have a point about other prosecutors bein' denied Senate hearings 
, I think she should've done things a little more above board 
. Guess you can't win 'em all, right? 
by this ruling, you know? I mean, Alina Habba was supposed to be the top dog in NJ but now she's gotta go back to the drawing board 
would be wild to see what kinds of weird stuff they'd come up with. anyway, back to Alina Habba... i guess she's got some explaining to do 
. one thing's for sure, though: it's gonna be interesting to see how this whole thing plays out in the long run 
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. Anyway, I guess this is just another example of how crazy things can get when politicians are trying to play politics with the system