In a 3–0 decision today, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that President Donald J. Trump’s July appointment of his former personal lawyer, Alina Habba, as Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey was unlawful. The ruling not only bars Habba from serving even in an acting capacity, but also declares several other Trump-era appointments invalid — including that of Lindsey Halligan. Halligan had previously been named Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; a judge ruled last month that her appointment was illegal, invalidating cases she had filed against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
