President Trump’s efforts to keep loyalist U.S. attorneys in office suffered a setback after Julianne Murray (Delaware) and Alina Habba (New Jersey) resigned amid court rulings and stalled Senate confirmations. Both blamed the Senate’s blue slip tradition for blocking confirmations, while courts have disqualified several acting prosecutors and disrupted some court calendars. The Justice Department has sought rehearing and submitted additional nominations, but legal experts warn that prolonged acting appointments can undermine office credibility and hamper prosecutions.
Trump Faces Setback As Two Loyalist U.S. Attorneys Resign Amid Legal And Senate Hurdles
President Trump’s effort to keep several loyalist U.S. attorneys in office hit a setback this week after two senior prosecutors resigned amid legal rulings and stalled Senate confirmations. Julianne Murray, who served as acting U.S. attorney in Delaware, and Alina Habba, who led the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey, both stepped down following court rulings and political pushback that undermined their tenures.
Court Challenges and Administrative Maneuvers
The departures follow an appeals panel’s ruling that affirmed Habba’s disqualification and rejected the administration’s efforts to preserve certain interim appointments after their statutory terms expired. After Habba’s temporary term ended in July, New Jersey judges declined to extend her tenure and instead installed her deputy. The administration responded by firing the judges’ chosen successor and withdrawing Habba’s formal nomination, then reassigning her as an acting U.S. attorney.
Blue Slips, Senate Resistance And Political Fallout
Both Murray and Habba blamed the long-standing Senate blue slip practice — which allows home-state senators to withhold approval of judicial and U.S. attorney nominees — for blocking their confirmations. Murray publicly faulted Delaware Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester for not returning blue slips. Habba cited opposition from New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim and also attacked local judges for disrupting court calendars while her authority was contested.
“There’s a lot of hills that they’re willing to die on, and clearly this isn’t one of them,”
said Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University, describing the administration’s willingness to abandon some nominees when the political and legal costs rise.
Other Disqualified Or Challenged Appointees
The administration has used similar tactics in Nevada, California, New York, New Mexico and Delaware, converting interim U.S. attorneys into acting U.S. attorneys after judges refused to let them continue without Senate confirmation. Judges disqualified acting U.S. attorneys Sigal Chattah (Nevada) and Bill Essayli (Central District of California); both have appealed. Challenges to John Sarcone III (Northern District of New York) and Ryan Ellison (New Mexico) are pending.
In the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan was disqualified by a federal judge and related cases were dismissed on the ground that she never lawfully held the office. The Justice Department has since quietly submitted Halligan’s formal nomination to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but Virginia’s Democratic senators signaled skepticism and said they will vet any candidate through their usual process.
Impact On Courts And The U.S. Attorney Offices
Judges and former prosecutors warned that indefinite acting appointments can harm an office’s ability to function: they may weaken credibility in court, limit authority to hire or promote staff, and complicate long-term strategy. In New Jersey, Habba’s disqualification led to adjourned trials and delayed decisions on bail and detention, illustrating practical disruptions when leadership is legally unsettled.
Former U.S. attorney Barbara McQuade characterized the courts’ response not as partisanship but as a check against appointments they view as unlawful. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche accused some judges of bias in a joint statement, calling the pressure on their prosecutors an "unconscionable campaign of bias and hostility."
What Comes Next
The Justice Department sought rehearing in the appeals court over Habba’s disqualification and was granted additional time to ask the full appeals court to reconsider the panel’s ruling. The administration’s final legal option would be the Supreme Court, though legal experts say the administration is likely to bring a case only if it believes it has a strong chance of success. Habba’s resignation may moot some pending appeals.
The resignations underscore a wider tug-of-war between the White House, the Senate and the federal judiciary over the norms and limits of interim appointments. For now, the combination of judicial decisions and Senate customs leaves several districts operating without permanently confirmed U.S. attorneys and raises questions about how long acting leaders can effectively run their offices.
