Overview

• U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann ruled Thursday that Alina Habba has been unlawfully serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor since July 1, then stayed his order to allow a Justice Department appeal.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi previously removed court-appointed successor Desiree Leigh Grace and reinstalled Habba, a vacancy-law maneuver at the heart of the dispute.
• Habba on Sunday accused federal judges of “collusion” and argued they lack authority to select a replacement, offering no evidence for the claim.
• President Trump renewed public pressure on Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley to end the Senate’s blue-slip tradition, urging him to “tell the Democrats … to go to HELL.”
• Grassley defended the practice, Sen. Thom Tillis said he would oppose nominees advanced without blue slips, and New Jersey’s Cory Booker and Andy Kim have withheld theirs for Habba.