The Trump administration did some personnel maneuvering to prevent the U.S. attorney's deputy from taking the top job.

Habba, whom Trump appointed to serve as the interim U.S. attorney in New Jersey, needed either Senate confirmation or a vote by the state’s federal judges in order to remain in her role past her initial 120-day term, which expired this week.

The Trump administration quickly acted to remove Habba’s replacement following a decision not to extend her term.

The Department of Justice quickly fired the newly named US attorney in New Jersey on Tuesday after federal judges in the state declined to extend Alina Habba’s interim appointment.

As Trump's former defense attorney gives up her U.S. attorney post, it's worth remembering that she never should've been appointed in the first place.

Trump appointed her as interim attorney, but to stay full-time, Habba would need to be approved by district judges or have the Senate confirm her position. On Tuesday, New Jersey’s federal judges instead chose to replace Habba with longtime prosecutor Desiree Leigh Grace, who served as Habba’s assistant.

In rare instances when judges have selected prosecutors, judges have typically appointed the same temporary U.S. attorney picked by the president, allowing for consistency and minimal disruption. Indeed, New Jersey district court judges in 2018 kept on Trump’s interim appointee, Republican Craig Carpenito.

The New York Times reports New Jersey’s two U.S. Senators are calling her unfit for office. which will likely doom her Senate confirmation.

Controversy is festering over a US District Court's recent attempted replacement of Interim US Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba. US Attorn