President Donald Trump nominated Alina Habba, his former campaign spokeswoman and personal lawyer, to be New Jersey’s U.S. attorney.
Trump appointed Habba in March to the office as interim U.S. attorney in the Garden State, endorsing a loyal supporter to his administration despite her lack of prosecutorial experience — a move that garnered sharp criticism from Democrats.
Habba’s 120-day interim term expires in three weeks, unless she’s confirmed by the Senate or New Jersey’s U.S. District Court judges allow her to stay in her role.
Here’s everything you need to know about Habba:
Background
The 41-year-old was born in Summit, New Jersey, to Iraqi immigrant parents. She studied at Lehigh University, and later earned her Juris Doctor from Widener University Commonwealth Law School. Before attending law school, she worked in the fashion industry.
After law school, Habba began her career as a lawyer. She rose to fame by representing Trump in a number of high-profile cases, becoming one of his most prominent legal allies.
In 2022, Habba joined MAGA Inc., and in 2023, she became counsel to Trump’s Save America PAC. She became counselor to the president at the beginning of Trump’s second term.
Habba is a mother of three, and described herself as a “devout Catholic, a proud first-generation Arab American woman, and a feisty Jersey girl” during a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Habba’s relationship with Trump
Habba and Trump’s legal relationship began in 2021, after she reportedly met him at his country club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Shortly after, Trump chose her to serve as his most high-profile lawyer. She later assisted Trump on the campaign trail ahead of the 2024 election.
Habba was a part of Trump’s legal team and defended the then-Republican presidential candidate in his hush-money trial in New York in 2024, when Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
One of Habba’s most prominent moments was clashing with Judge Lewis Kaplan during Trump’s defamation trial, where a jury ruled the then-former president should pay writer E. Jean Carroll a combined $83 million for emotional harm and other damages for defaming her in his denial of her claim that he raped her in the mid-1990s.
During closing arguments of the trial, Habba tried to introduce social media tweets that were not submitted into evidence. In a heated argument, Habba continued to interrupt Kaplan, who threatened her with jail time, warning she was “on the verge of spending some time in the lock-up.”
In December 2024, Trump announced Habba to be his presidential counselor. Trump wrote in a statement that she had been “unwavering in her loyalty” and a “tireless advocate for justice.”
Trump also praised Habba by stating she has “become a role model for women in law and politics.”
On March 24, Trump appointed Habba to be the interim New Jersey U.S. Attorney, following former U.S. Attorney, John Giordano, being nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to Namibia.
“We could turn New Jersey red. I really do believe that,” Habba said in an interview following her appointment. “Hopefully, while I’m there, I can help that cause.”
Notable moments in her role
In April, Habba directed government lawyers to investigate Gov. Phillip Murphy (D-NJ), and the state’s attorney general, Matthew Plankin, over its immigration policies.
The following month, Habba’s office brought criminal trespassing charges against Newark mayor, Ras Baraka, following his arrest outside an immigration detention facility. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) was also charged with assault by Habba’s office, and McIver has since been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer.
The charges against Baraka were dropped, and in June, he sued Habba over his arrest, stating it was politically motivated and defamatory.
Habba responded on social media: “My advice to the mayor – feel free to join me in prioritizing violent crime and public safety. Far better use of time for the great citizens of New Jersey.”
On June 27, the Department of Justice announced a two-count indictment against 58-year-old Salvatore Russotto of Florida for allegedly making posts on social media threatening to kill Habba.
Reactions to Habba’s nomination
Both of New Jersey’s senators, Cory Booker (D) and Andy Kim (D) responded to Alina’s nomination in a joint statement, making it clear they would not support Habba’s appointment to a full term.
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“The people of New Jersey deserve a US Attorney that has deep experience with law enforcement, a reputation and an approach that puts partisanship to the side, and who will work to keep our communities safe and impartially pursue justice,” they wrote in the statement, reported by the New Jersey Globe. “In her short tenure as interim US Attorney, she has degraded the office and pursued frivolous and politically motivated prosecutions. It’s clear that Alina Habba does not meet the standard to serve the people of New Jersey.”
If the Senate doesn’t approve her nomination, New Jersey’s 17 district court judges could vote to approve her permanent status. No date has been set for Habba’s confirmation hearing as of July 2.
