WASHINGTON — A U.S. judge on Thursday ruled that Alina Habba, a former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, was unlawfully appointed as the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey and is therefore ineligible to participate in any ongoing cases.

The ruling is a setback for Trump’s Justice Department, which maneuvered to keep Habba in her post and circumvent a judicial decision not to extend her 120-day interim tenure.

“Faced with the question of whether Ms. Habba is lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, I conclude that she is not,” wrote U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann.

The challenges to Habba’s authority were brought by two defendants in an illegal drug case, Julien Giraud Jr. and Julien Giraud III, a

See Full Page