Alina Habba is exiting her position as the leading federal prosecutor in New Jersey after a bruising legal battle culminated in an appellate decision that determined she was ineligible to serve in the role. She explained her departure in a written statement, saying, “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.” She added a pointed reminder that her move should not be misread, declaring, “But do not mistake compliance for surrender. This decision will not weaken the Justice Department, and it will not weaken me.”
Her appointment to the post came in March, when President Trump selected her for the acting role after she had served both as his personal lawyer and later in a White House advisory position. Her brief stretch as the state’s top federal enforcer, however, quickly became entangled in a fierce challenge over whether she had ever lawfully held the job.
The controversy erupted when defendants in two unrelated criminal cases argued that her appointment ran afoul of a 1998 federal vacancies statute. Their contention was that the process used to install her bypassed required legal steps, invalidating her authority from the outset. A federal judge agreed, invalidating her work dating back to late July — though that ruling was temporarily paused as the administration sought relief from a higher court.
Throughout the dispute, the administration maintained that Habba’s elevation complied with a longstanding law that permits a first assistant to step into the U.S. attorney post for an interim period. Habba, then 41, had been sworn in on March 28 for a 120-day term. But on July 22, a federal judicial panel refused to extend her tenure and instead placed First Assistant U.S. Attorney Desiree Grace into the job.
That reshuffling prompted immediate pushback from the Justice Department. Attorney General Pam Bondi swiftly removed Grace and reinstated Habba, attempting to reassert the administration’s authority over the appointment. The appeals court, however, rejected that maneuver, finding that Bondi had never validly appointed Habba as first assistant in the first place — a prerequisite to the legal argument the government was relying on.
In a sharply worded opinion, Senior U.S. Circuit Judge D. Michael Fisher described the administration’s attempts to keep Habba in place as emblematic of broader political obstacles. “It is apparent that the current administration has been frustrated by some of the legal and political barriers to getting its appointees in place,” he wrote, adding that “Its efforts to elevate its preferred candidate for US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, to the role of Acting US Attorney demonstrate the difficulties it has faced — yet the citizens of New Jersey and the loyal employees in the US Attorney’s Office deserve some clarity and stability.”
The court also found that once President Trump formally nominated Habba for Senate confirmation on June 30 — a nomination later withdrawn to allow Bondi to reinstall her — she became legally barred from continuing in the acting position. Judge Fisher noted that accepting the administration’s argument would create a loophole allowing even unsuccessful nominees to return to acting posts, writing, “The government’s argument basically defeats itself.”
The ruling ultimately closed the door on Habba’s turbulent tenure, prompting her decision to step aside while insisting the fight has not diminished her resolve.
{Matzav.com}
After weeks of speculation about whether he’d stay in his modest Queens rental, incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that he and his wife, Rama Duwaji, will pack up their Astoria apartment and settle into Gracie Mansion once he’s sworn in. The choice, he explained, wasn’t symbolic or political — it was personal.
“My wife Rama and I have made the decision to move into Gracie Mansion in January,” he said, making clear that the move was driven by concerns close to home.
“This decision came down to our family’s safety and the importance of dedicating all of my focus on enacting the affordability agenda New Yorkers voted for.”
For years, Mamdani’s critics hammered him for his rent-stabilized, $2,300 one-bedroom — a setup they said was wildly out of sync with his six-figure earnings in the Assembly and his calls for sweeping rent freezes. The tension around the apartment only intensified during the mayoral campaign, with opponents repeatedly framing his living situation as hypocritical.
Even as the firestorm built, Mamdani stayed largely silent about whether he’d abandon the Astoria unit for the official residence on the Upper East Side. He finally broke that silence, framing the decision within his broader vision for the city.
“My priority, always, is serving the people who call this city home. I will be a mayor for the line cooks on Steinway, for the children swinging at Dutch Kills Playground, for the bus riders waiting for the Q101,” he said.
“While I may no longer live in Astoria, Astoria will always live inside me and the work I do.”
Throughout the campaign, opponents seized on his apartment as a political weak point. Andrew Cuomo — running as an independent — accused Mamdani of misusing the rent-regulated system, arguing that someone with his family background shouldn’t occupy a unit that could go to a struggling tenant.
Mamdani, the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia professor Mahmood Mamdani, pushed back throughout the race. He has long maintained that when he first moved in, he had no idea the place was rent-stabilized. His team also pointed out that he’d been earning only $47,000 at the time.
Still, even as he prepares to step into the mayoralty, Mamdani acknowledged that leaving his longtime home won’t be easy. He reflected on the details of daily life in the building that had shaped his years in Astoria.
“Cooking dinner side by side in our kitchen, sharing a sleepy elevator ride with our neighbors in the evening, hearing music and laughter vibrate through the walls of the apartment,” Mamdani said.
“To Astoria: thank you for showing us the best of New York City. We have called this neighborhood home as our city weathered a devastating pandemic, cruel attacks on immigrants, and years of an affordability crisis,” he continued.
“Time and again, this community has shown up for one another. We will miss it all — the endless Adeni chai, the spirited conversations in Spanish, Arabic and every language in between, the aromas of seafood and shawarma drifting down the block.”
{Matzav.com}