A dramatic power struggle has erupted in New Jersey’s federal court after district judges ousted President Trump’s interim U.S. attorney pick, Alina Habba.
Within hours, the Department of Justice fired her replacement, escalating tensions over presidential authority and judicial independence.
Key Facts:
- District judges in New Jersey voted to replace interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba with her deputy, Desiree Grace.
- The DOJ, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, responded by immediately firing Grace.
- Bondi accused “rogue judges” of threatening the President’s Article II powers.
- President Trump appointed Habba in March and later nominated her for a full term.
- New Jersey’s Democrat Senators oppose Habba’s permanent appointment, and the Senate has yet to confirm her.
The Rest of The Story:
Tensions between the executive branch and the judiciary flared after New Jersey federal judges replaced interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba with her top assistant, Desiree Grace.
The move came just as Habba’s 120-day interim appointment was set to expire.
Grace, a longtime prosecutor and Republican, had been serving as chief of the criminal division before becoming Habba’s deputy.
Attorney General Pam Bondi quickly took action, firing Grace and citing a threat to presidential authority.
“This Department of Justice does not tolerate rogue judges — especially when they threaten the President’s core Article II powers,” Bondi wrote on X.
.@USAttyHabba has been doing a great job in making NJ safe again. Nonetheless, politically minded judges refused to allow her to continue in her position, replacing Alina with the First Assistant.
Accordingly, the First Assistant United States Attorney in New Jersey has just…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) July 22, 2025
She praised Habba for “doing a great job” before condemning the judges’ decision as political.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche echoed those concerns, stating, “They forced out President Trump’s pick, @UsAttyHabba, then installed her deputy, colluding with the NJ Senators along the way.”
He emphasized that the DOJ would not allow the judiciary to circumvent the president’s decisions.
Habba’s appointment came in March after John Giordano was nominated for an ambassadorship.
Earlier this month, Trump nominated Habba for a full four-year term.
However, Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim signaled they would not support her, stalling her confirmation in the Senate.
The New Jersey Globe identified Grace as a Republican, suggesting party affiliation alone wasn’t enough to satisfy the judges.
The real divide appears to stem from the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to executive authority—and how the courts choose to respond.
Commentary:
This showdown is yet another reminder that President Trump isn’t here to play games.
He picked Alina Habba for a reason, and when judges tried to sidestep his authority by replacing her with someone more “acceptable,” the DOJ swiftly reminded them who’s in charge.
If judges want to go to war with this administration, they’d better buckle up. This president respects the Constitution, and that includes the powers granted to him under Article II.
Judicial meddling in executive appointments isn’t just out of line—it’s a direct challenge to the presidency itself.
The fact that the Senate still hasn’t confirmed Habba shows how little backbone some Republicans have. They’re letting Democrat Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim dictate the terms of executive appointments.
That’s not what the voters wanted when they sent Trump back to the White House.
And where is the Republican Senate leadership? Nowhere to be found.
If they truly supported the president and his agenda, they’d adjourn immediately and allow Trump to install his full slate of appointments through recess authority.
But they won’t, because too many of them serve their own interests—not the people’s.
It’s clear that some of these so-called Republican Senators have more contempt for Trump voters than they do for leftist judges trying to hijack the justice system. That needs to change.
The GOP base put them in office for a reason, and it wasn’t to roll over every time the left throws a tantrum.
The only way to stop this kind of power grab is to fight back—hard.
The DOJ did the right thing by firing Grace and standing by Habba. It’s time for the rest of the Republican Party to follow that example.
Otherwise, they’ll keep losing ground to activist judges and obstructionist Senators who don’t respect the will of the American people.
The Bottom Line:
Judges in New Jersey tried to override President Trump’s interim U.S. attorney pick, but the DOJ acted quickly to shut it down.
The episode reveals deep divisions between the judiciary and the executive—and exposes weakness within the GOP Senate.
Unless Republicans act decisively, they risk losing control of the appointments that shape the future of justice in America.
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