Federal Judiciary Committee Declines to Confirm Alina Haba
In a recent decision, the Federal Judiciary Committee, primarily made up of judges appointed by Presidents Obama and Biden, chose not to confirm Alina Haba as President Trump’s U.S. lawyer for New Jersey. This effectively brings a three-month confirmation battle to a close.
Haba had been serving as the state’s top prosecutor since March 24, but her interim term lasted only 120 days and expired in mid-July.
Absent Senate confirmation, 17 federal judges in New Jersey could have considered extending her role.
Following the vote, U.S. Associate Attorney General Todd Blanche criticized a New Jersey judge for allegedly trying to pressure him regarding Haba’s term, which was set to end just before midnight on Friday.
“Their haste reflects what has always been: a leftist agenda, not adherence to the law,” Blanche expressed on social media. “When judges act as activists, they erode public trust in the legal system.”
In a signed order on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Rene Marie Bum appointed Decily Lee Grace, another attorney from the New Jersey U.S. Lawyer’s Office.
Opposition to Haba’s confirmation came from New Jersey Senators Corey Booker and Andy Kim, both Democrats, who withheld their approval—often referred to as a “blue slip”—thus obstructing the Judiciary Committee from moving forward with Haba’s appointment.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) added pressure on the Judiciary Committee, labeling Haba as “malicious” and criticizing her actions during protests at the Newark Immigration Detention Center in May.
“Haba is an unexpectedly unqualified political hack that shouldn’t be appointed,” Jeffries emphasized in a post on July 18.
Jeffries raised concerns that the U.S. House Ethics Committee, along with the conservative group Article 3 Project, had been overly critical of 17 New Jersey U.S. District Judges—15 of whom were appointed by Obama and Biden—calling them “corrupt.”
The controversy intensified as accusations were made against Jeffries for improperly involving himself in a federal case concerning Rep. Lamonica McQuiver.
Previously, Haba had threatened legal action against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka related to demonstrations at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. However, no formal charges were ultimately filed.
Trump’s candidate John Salcone, who leads the U.S. lawyers’ office based in Albany, faced similar rejection by judges but found a way around it, being appointed as a special U.S. lawyer after being initially turned down.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had previously indicated a desire to block Salcone and other Trump nominees.
“I was appointed U.S. lawyer for an indefinite term,” Salcone stated, claiming he held “all the powers of U.S. lawyers” in his capacity as the chief prosecutor in Upstate New York.
