By Tiffany Williams –
President Donald Trump has appointed Alina Habba, a longtime adviser and personal attorney, as the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, a decision announced with notable timing following the recent transfer of Mahmoud Khalil’s case to New Jersey. Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and green card holder, is currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the office led by Habba is poised to oversee his prosecution.
Habba, who serves as a counselor to the president within the White House, is stepping into this influential role, succeeding John Giordano, who has been named U.S. Ambassador to Namibia.
A partner at Habba Madaio & Associates LLP, a law firm located in Bedminster, New Jersey—just a stone’s throw from Trump’s famous golf course—Habba has been a prominent figure in Trump’s political sphere. She has been a senior advisor for the former president’s political action committee and has represented him in numerous civil lawsuits, becoming a recognizable face on cable news networks as his “legal spokesperson.” Despite her visibility, her online biography reveals a lack of prosecutorial experience.
Throughout her career, Habba has been one of Trump’s most prominent defense attorneys, defending him publicly during the highly publicized defamation lawsuit involving E. Jean Carroll that reached its climax in 2024. However, her federal court experience is limited, as her practice has largely remained rooted in state-level courts. During the Carroll trial, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan admonished Habba for procedural missteps and misstatements of law, underscoring the challenges she faced in navigating complex legal scenarios.
In 2023, both Habba and Trump were fined nearly $1 million for initiating what a Florida judge deemed a frivolous lawsuit against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Although she did not directly represent Trump in his criminal hush money trial, Habba remained a vocal supporter, frequently seen in the spectator section and on media outlets passionately defending him against a backdrop of legal challenges, including various indictments. Notably, she was present in the courtroom when Trump received a guilty verdict on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Habba’s journey began at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, where her professional relationship with Trump was established. Over the years, she has maintained her position amidst a revolving door of legal counsel, demonstrating an impressive resilience that few others have matched. Now, as she transitions back to New Jersey to lead a robust office of approximately 150 prosecutors, she faces the formidable task of overseeing the District of New Jersey, which encompasses three key vicinages—Newark, Trenton, and Camden. This office, as stated on its official website, is responsible for enforcing a wide array of federal criminal and civil statutes across the entire state, from the scenic High Point down to the coastal refuge of Cape May Point.