Alina Habba said she was the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey. President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi agreed. All three were wrong, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit ruled this week.
That unanimous decision, which was issued by a three-judge panel that included two George W. Bush appointees, highlights a disturbing pattern of conduct that extends beyond New Jersey to New York, Virginia, New Mexico, Nevada, and California. In one state after another, Trump has sought to install loyalists as U.S. attorneys without the Senate approval required by the Constitution's Appointments Clause.
