NEWARK, N.J. — They’re calling it the shortest tenure of a New Jersey U.S. Attorney, ever. Nobody has ever seen such a short term. Nobody does short terms like President Donald J. Trump.
New Jersey is now ground zero in the battle between the far left and the Trump administration.
A mounting conflict between the judiciary and the Trump administration intensified this week after federal judges in New Jersey declined to extend Alina Habba’s interim tenure as U.S. Attorney — replacing her with First Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace — only for the Department of Justice to immediately fire Grace hours later.
The sequence began when a panel of federal judges, acting within their authority under the federal appointments statute, voted not to reappoint Habba, ending her brief term as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor. Grace, as next in line, was expected to assume the acting role — a routine administrative transition.
However, in a swift and pointed move, Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced Grace’s dismissal later that day, calling the court’s decision “politically motivated” and accusing the judiciary of attempting to “undermine the President’s Article II powers.”
“This Department of Justice does not tolerate rogue judges — especially when they threaten the President’s core Article II powers,” Bondi said in a statement.
Senators Andy Kim and Cory Booker responded sharply, issuing a joint statement condemning the firing as a “blatant attempt to intimidate anyone that doesn’t agree with [the administration] and undermine judicial independence.”
“The people of New Jersey deserve a U.S. Attorney who will enforce the law and pursue justice without partisanship or politics,” the senators wrote.
Senator Kim, who had earlier in the day praised Grace’s appointment, lamented her removal, calling it part of a “pattern of publicly undermining judicial decisions.”
Habba, a close legal ally of former President Trump, continues to await Senate confirmation for a permanent appointment to the U.S. Attorney post.
The rapid reversal highlights the deepening rift between the Trump administration and the federal judiciary over prosecutorial appointments in one of the nation’s most visible legal districts.