March 30, 2025 – Alina Habba, the new U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, has a message to lawbreakers: It’s a bad day to be a criminal in New Jersey.

Habba, a longtime legal ally of President Donald Trump, was officially sworn in as the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey on Friday, March 28, 2025, in a ceremony held at the White House. Known for her fierce loyalty and combative style, Habba wasted no time in setting the tone for her tenure, declaring, “It’s a bad day to be a criminal in New Jersey.”

Speaking to reporters outside the White House shortly after her appointment was announced, Habba promised to root out corruption and address crime in the state.

“There is injustice and a heavy amount of crime right in Cory Booker’s backyard and right under Governor Phil Murphy’s watch, and that will stop,” she said, taking aim at prominent Democratic figures. During her swearing-in ceremony, she doubled down, emphasizing her intent to make New Jersey a tougher place for lawbreakers.

The appointment, announced by President Trump earlier this week, marks a significant shift for Habba, who transitions from her role as White House counselor and one of Trump’s personal attorneys to the top federal prosecutor in her home state. Her swearing-in, presided over by the president in the Oval Office, underscored their close relationship and her new mandate to tackle crime and corruption in New Jersey.

“It is with great pleasure that I announce Alina Habba, who has represented me for a long time, will be our interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, effective immediately,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social earlier this week. “Alina will lead with the same diligence and conviction that has defined her career, and she will fight tirelessly to secure a legal system that is both fair and just for the wonderful people of New Jersey.”

Habba, a New Jersey native and first-generation American of Iraqi descent, brings a unique background to the role.

A partner at a small law firm near Trump’s Bedminster golf course, she rose to prominence defending the former president in high-profile civil cases, including a defamation lawsuit from former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos and New York’s civil fraud case against Trump’s business empire.

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