Alina Habba, Trump’s ex-defence attorney, is New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor

President Trump appoints Alina Habba as top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, known for defending him in court.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (March 24, 2025) named his one-time defence attorney and current White House counsellor Alina Habba to be the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey.

M.s Habba, who turns 41 on Tuesday (March 25, 2025), takes over the interim post from John Giordano, whom the President said he's naming to be the U.S. ambassador for Namibia.

A partner in a small New Jersey law firm near Trump's Bedminster golf course, Ms. Habba served as a senior advisor for Trump's political action committee, defended him in court in several civil lawsuits and acted as a spokesperson last year as he volleyed between courtrooms and the campaign trail.

U.S. attorneys often have experience as prosecutors, including at the state or local level. Many, including the acting U.S. attorneys in Brooklyn and Manhattan, have worked in the offices they now lead.

Ms. Habba said she looked forwards to working with Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue the president's agenda of “putting America first", and going after the people "we should be going after".

She criticised Democrats Senator Cory Booker and Governor Phil Murphy for their stewardship of the state.

“If you look at what happened in crime, what's going on in Newark, what's going on in Camden, this has been a neglected state. It is one of the most populated states for its size and it needs to stop. We're gonna do a bang up job,” Ms. Habba said.