New Jersey's top prosecutor resigns in the wake of court disqualifies her service.
The former personal attorney for Donald Trump has stepped down as the US Attorney for New Jersey. This comes after a court battle that invalidated her eligibility to occupy the role.
Acceptance of Resignation
The head of the Justice Department, Pam Bondi, confirmed the prosecutor's departure on Monday. In a statement that the court's "flawed" ruling made it unworkable for her to perform her duties.
"Let no one confuse compliance for surrender," she wrote. "This battle will now stretch across the country."
Legal Background
Habba's exit was triggered by a US appeals court ruled that she had been acting without proper authority as the top prosecutor. This decision is expected to impact many prosecutions in the state.
The appellate judges said that a acting appointment that did not receive confirmation by the US Senate ran afoul of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
Ongoing Legal Battle
It was also stated that Habba will continue working within the Department of Justice as a senior adviser. Habba plans to seek further review of the court's action, in the hope of achieving a different outcome.
In a statement, Bondi argued that the court "should not be able to countermand the appointment of attorneys tasked with performing the executive branch's core responsibility of prosecuting crime."
Accomplishments Cited
She praised the prosecutor's work and said that under her leadership, the Newark saw a one-fifth decrease in crime. She also stated that the southern city of Camden had its first summer in 50 years with no murders.
Legal Career
Habba, 41, first joined Trump's personal legal team in recent years. Subsequently, she represented the former president in his hush-money trial in New York last year, which resulted in his guilty verdict on dozens of charges of falsifying business records.
Before assuming the top New Jersey post, Donald Trump had revealed he was naming her as his White House advisor in a potential future term, calling Habba as "unwavering in her loyalty" and a "tireless advocate for justice".
