Alina Habba suffers two embarrassing setbacks in as many weeks

As my MS NOW colleague Jordan Rubin reported, a federal appeals panel ruled on Monday that a district court was correct in disqualifying Hubba as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, "delivering the Trump administration its latest setback in a case pending in U.S. Attorneys' offices across the country."

This was the second disappointing news Donald Trump's former lawyer received in just five days. Politico reported last week:

A federal appeals court has upheld a nearly $1 million penalty against President Donald Trump and attorney Alina Hubba, concluding that they committed "sanctionable conduct" by filing a frivolous lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey. Chief Judge William Pryor Jr. of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote for a unanimous, three-judge panel that included Trump appointee Andrew Brashear and Biden appointee Embry Kidd, "Many of Trump and Hubba's legal arguments were truly meritless."

For those who need a reminder, in March 2022, Hubba helped file a very bizarre case targeting Hillary Clinton and several other Democrats, a case that was bizarre even by Team Trump standards. As a Washington Post analysis noted after the case was filed, "From the outset, Donald Trump's case against Hillary Clinton and nearly 50 others makes it clear what it is about—and it's not about winning a legal verdict. ... It's a press release."

In the recent past, such developments would’ve left Habba’s legal reputation in tatters. In 2025, her relationship with the White House will likely remain unchanged, and Habba will remain a fixture on conservative media, as if she were still a credible attorney in good standing.The Post’s report added that the Republican litigation “contains a veritable smorgasbord of debunked and conspiratorial assertions,” as well as “false claims, errors and dubious inferences.”

The case proved so ridiculous that a judge imposed harsh sanctions on Habba for bringing “political grievances masquerading as legal claims” to court.

“This case should never have been brought,” the judge added. “Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it.”

Habba filed it anyway, which is why she was punished with sanctions. She appealed the penalty, only to have a three-judge panel — featuring two jurists appointed by Republican presidents — confirm that she deserved the punishment.