A federal judge ruled Monday that the Trump administration “overstepped its authority” by installing three unconfirmed prosecutors to lead New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney’s office, saying thousands of federal criminal cases could be at risk.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann disqualified Philip Lamparello, Jordan Fox, and Ari Fontecchio from overseeing two ongoing cases and said he could dismiss cases at any stage if the Justice Department continued to delegate authority to unconfirmed lawyers.
Brann criticized the appointments, calling the structure “unprecedented and Byzantine” and noting that the government argued the president “doesn’t like that he cannot simply appoint whomever he wants.”
The trio was installed after a federal appeals court barred Alina Habba, a former personal lawyer to Trump, from serving as New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney. Habba condemned Brann’s ruling on X, saying judges may try to block Trump’s actions, “but we will not be deterred.”
