A federal judge in New Jersey recently removed a prosecutor from his courtroom during a child pornography sentencing hearing, then ordered the entire leadership of the local U.S. Attorney’s Office to testify under oath. Judge Zahid N. Quraishi expressed serious doubts about whether the office’s former acting U.S. Attorney, Alina Habba, had truly stepped back from her role despite previous court orders.
President Trump appointed Alina Habba as acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey about a year ago. Judge Matthew S. Brann later ruled she wasn’t “lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office” and disqualified her from ongoing cases. A unanimous three-judge panel on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling earlier this month.
According to the New York Times, Habba then announced she had “decided to step down” to protect the office’s “stability and integrity,” moving to serve as an adviser to Attorney General Pam Bondi. But Judge Quraishi was not fully convinced she had truly disengaged from managing the office.
The sentencing hearing for a child pornography case exposed serious failures in the U.S. Attorney’s Office
The sentencing hearing for Francisco Villafane, who pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse materials, quickly fell apart. Prosecutor Daniel Rosenblum was prepared to accept a plea deal with a sentence “significantly lower than the advisory guideline range,” and had not reviewed all the evidence.
Judge Quraishi called the agreement “deficient,” noting the sentence was “less than a third of the advisory range.” He demanded, “How did the screw up happen?” Rosenblum admitted it was “probably a combination of errors.”
Rosenblum was accompanied by veteran Mark Coyne, who had not filed a formal notice of appearance. When Coyne interrupted to deny Habba’s continued involvement, the judge warned, “Sit down, Mr. Coyne. If you speak again, I’m going to have you removed.” Coyne kept speaking and was escorted out by court security. This incident is one of several controversial moves by the Trump administration drawing sharp criticism recently.
After Coyne’s removal, Judge Quraishi ordered Philip Lamparello, Jordan Fox, and Ari Fontecchio to testify under oath next month about the office’s leadership and operations. Attorney General Bondi had appointed these three as a “triumvirate” after Habba’s disqualification, though Judge Brann also disqualified this group just last week.
Judge Brann has warned that repeated unlawful appointments could lead to “scores of dangerous criminals” having cases dismissed or convictions overturned. Judge Quraishi told Rosenblum, “You have lost the confidence and the trust of this court. You have lost the confidence and the trust of the New Jersey legal community, and you are losing the trust and confidence of the public.”
As courts continue pushing back against the administration, observers are also watching Trump’s foreign policy decisions on Iran closely. The original complaint against Villafane detailed an “online sexual relationship” with a 13-year-old girl, involving over 7,000 messages and instructions to send him pornographic photos and videos.
Published: Mar 18, 2026 03:23 pm