The Department of Justice has removed Desiree Grace, the short-lived replacement for Alina Habba as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, only hours after federal judges voted to install her.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the move Monday in a post on X, blasting what she called the actions of “politically minded judges” who refused to allow Habba to continue in the role.
“Alina Habba has been doing a great job in making the state safe again,” Bondi wrote. “Nonetheless, politically minded judges refused to allow her to remain in her position. Accordingly, the First Assistant United States Attorney in New Jersey has just been removed. This Department of Justice does not tolerate rogue judges — especially when they threaten the President’s core Article II powers.”
.@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
The judicial panel had voted to replace Habba, whose 120-day interim appointment is set to expire, with Grace, her first assistant. Grace, a Republican who has served as a federal prosecutor since 2016, was previously the chief of the criminal division.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the move, accusing the judges of political maneuvering in coordination with New Jersey’s Democratic senators. “They forced out President Trump’s pick, @UsAttyHabba, then installed her deputy, colluding with the NJ Senators along the way,” Blanche wrote. “It won’t work. Pursuant to the President’s authority, we have removed that deputy, effective immediately.”
The district judges in NJ just proved this was never about law—it was about politics. They forced out President Trump’s pick, @USAttyHabba, then installed her deputy, colluding with the NJ Senators along the way. It won’t work. Pursuant to the President’s authority, we have… https://t.co/2Jyphdhaum
— Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) July 22, 2025
Habba, a New Jersey-born attorney from an Iraqi family, was appointed by President Donald Trump in March after John Giordano vacated the post to serve as the nominee for U.S. ambassador to Namibia. Earlier this month, Trump formally nominated Habba to a full four-year term, though her confirmation faces opposition from New Jersey’s Democratic senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, who have indicated they will not support her.
The Senate has yet to act on Habba’s nomination, leaving the leadership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey in flux as the standoff between the administration, the judiciary, and Senate Democrats intensifies.
