President Donald Trump has moved to keep his former defense attorney Alina Habba on the job as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, even though a panel of judges refused to extend her tenure. Habba’s term was set to expire this week,

President Donald Trump’s fraught effort to install political appointees in permanent roles as US attorneys across the country gained momentum this week, as Republicans work to jumpstart a stalled confirmation process in the Senate,

In rare instances when judges have selected prosecutors, judges have typically appointed the same temporary U.S. attorney picked by the president, allowing for consistency and minimal disruption. Indeed, New Jersey district court judges in 2018 kept on Trump’s interim appointee, Republican Craig Carpenito.