US president Donald Trump with Alina Habba in 2023, when she represented Mr Trump during a civil fraud trial. In its ruling, the three-judge panel, based in Philadelphia, affirmed an earlier ruling by a US district court judge, shooting down each of the government’s arguments for why Ms Habba could continue to serve. They added that the manoeuvres undertaken to keep Ms Habba in charge exemplified the difficulties it had faced. Ms Habba (41) had represented Trump in several civil cases and played a public role in his 2024 presidential campaign. “Relying on a chimera of at least seven different statutes, the government has, at various times, described Ms Habba as ‘interim US attorney,’ ‘acting US attorney,’ ‘first assistant US attorney’ and ‘special attorney,’” they wrote.
