Newshub
Jan 14, 2026

Obama Judge Says 3 Trump Prosecutors Are in Unlawful Roles

An Obama-appointed federal judge ruled that a three-person leadership team of the New Jersey federal prosecutor’s office was unlawful and said President Donald Trump’s insistence on handpicking U.S. attorneys showed that the White House cared more about personal control than public safety.

Matthew W. Brann, the judge, was making a decision regarding the legality of the three prosecutors who have been in charge of the New Jersey office since December. The New York Times reported that he also discussed the widespread practice of the Justice Department dismissing judicially appointed prosecutors immediately upon their appointment.

The judge outrageously claimed that the Trump administration cared more about who ran the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey than whether it was running at all, using italics to highlight the elevated tone of his decision.

Judge Brann stated that “scores of dangerous criminals could have their cases dismissed or convictions eventually reversed” as a result of the president’s ongoing reliance on illegal procedures to appoint top federal prosecutors.

He expressed his frustration by saying that judges would have to dismiss pending cases if there were any more attempts “to unlawfully” control the office’s leadership. To give the government time to file an appeal, Judge Brann said he would postpone his own ruling.

Usually nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, U.S. attorneys oversee prosecutors’ offices in more than 90 districts. However, senators in their states have blocked several of Trump’s preferred nominees, such as Alina Habba, his choice to head the New Jersey office. Consequently, the law has compelled judges to select their own candidates to fill vacancies.

The Justice Department has dismissed judges who appointed U.S. attorneys during Mr. Trump’s second term. Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, posted on social media following the appointment of an interim U.S. attorney in upstate New York: “Judges don’t pick U.S. Attorneys, @POTUS does.” Refer to our Constitution’s Article II.

Judge Brann, a federal judge who typically sits in Pennsylvania but was designated to handle the matter in New Jersey, referred to that statement and others like it as “combative (and legally incomplete).”

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