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Acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba announced her resignation from her position in a post shared on social media accounts Monday (December 8) following a three-month battle over the legality of her appointment.
Habba, 41, confirmed that she will continue serving as "Senior Adviser to the Attorney General for U.S. Attorneys" in her lengthy statement. The announcement came months after a federal judge ruled that Habba was serving her position "without lawful authority," which disqualified her as New Jersey's top federal law enforcement officer, a decision that was unanimously upheld by a federal appeals court last week and hadn't been appealed by the Department of Justice.
"As a result of the Third Circuit's ruling, and to protect the stability and integrity of the office which I love, I have decided to step down in my role as the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey," Habba said. "But do not mistake compliance for surrender. This decision will not weaken the Justice Department and it will not weaken me."
Habba remained in the position after Attorney General Pam Bondi named her a Special Attorney to the Attorney General," though several judges delayed proceedings to rule on the legality of her position prior to her resignation.
“Following the flawed Third Circuit decision disqualifying Alina Habba from performing her duties in the U.S. Attorney's office for the District of New Jersey, I am saddened to accept Alina's resignation," Bondi said in a statement obtained by ABC News. "The Department of Justice will seek further review of this decision, and we are confident it will be reversed. Alina intends to return to lead the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey if this occurs."
Habba had previously served as a personal attorney for President Donald Trump in his New York civil fraud case and defamation trials prior to being appointed as a U.S. attorney.