NEW: Trump’s Genius Gambit To Sidestep Liberal Judges’ Ruling Is Revealed

Alina Habba, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and outgoing U.S. attorney for New Jersey, isn’t going away quietly, according to White House insiders who say Trump has hatched a plan to keep her as a top prosecutor after liberal judges declined to officialize her position.

On Tuesday Habba suffered a stinging rebuke when a coterie of New Jersey judges replaced her as the state’s top official from the U.S. Justice Department just days before her four months as an unconfirmed appointee were set to conclude.

It appeared that Habba’s only other route would be through the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, where she is the second Trump nominee to struggle obtaining the necessary votes after Ed Martin’s nomination was scuttled for U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.

By withdrawing that nomination, Trump believes it’s possible to circumvent the Senate’s traditional powers and instead give Habba a second appointment — this time as First Assistant U.S. Attorney, a post that falls directly under U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Because the New Jersey U.S. attorney’s post is vacant, Habba would be able to fill it immediately, bypassing the need for a full vote of the Senate.

It’s unclear how Habba will confront Desiree Leigh Grace, a career prosecutor who New Jersey judges opted to select for the role over her. The decision infuriated U.S. Justice Department officials who hoped that they would rubber stamp Habba’s appointment.

In a post on X Thursday evening, Habba wrote, “Donald J. Trump is the 47th President. Pam Bondi is the Attorney General. And I am now the Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey.”

Unlike other nominees, Habba’s closeness with Trump appears to have been to her detriment. She represented him through various civil trials in 2023 and 2024, often going on national TV to rip Democratic prosecutors for their allegedly politically-motivated cases.

Habba further ruffled the feathers of senators on the Judiciary Committee for her failed prosecution of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who in June was threatened with arrest after trespassing into a restricted portion of a federal immigration detention center during a protest.

She also pursued an indictment against Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) for allegedly interfering with Baraka’s removal and assaulting an immigration officer.

The decision to sideline Habba may put New Jersey’s federal judges under further scrutiny by the DOJ, Politico learned from insiders, who didn’t reveal what actions the White House may take to remove them from the bench.

Grace on Wednesday thanked the judges for their selection and said she planned to assume the role next week.