Booker, Kim Urge Collaboration In Letter to White House as Administration Considers Next U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Nominee

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) sent a letter to the White House urging the administration to work with them to identify a suitable candidate for the role of US Attorney for New Jersey following the resignation of Alina Habba.
The legislators wrote:“We are now at an inflection point where we can ensure that the people of New Jersey have a chief federal prosecutor who has the requisite experience and integrity to faithfully execute the duties of that office. The time is now for us to work together to identify a candidate who can meet those requirements.”
The legislators conclude:“Rather than prolong this issue at the expense of the people of New Jersey and the orderly functioning of the federal legal system, we urge you to work with us to select a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey in the manner required by the Constitution and federal law. To do otherwise would be a disservice to the people we serve, whose interests must remain the shared focus of all our efforts.
A full copy of the letter can be foundhereand below:
Dear Mr. Warrington:
We write today to renew discussions between our offices to find a suitable candidate for the vacant position of U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. After two federal courts ruled unequivocally that Alina Habba was unlawfully leading the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, Ms. Habba resigned from the role on December 8. We are now at an inflection point where we can ensure that the people of New Jersey have a chief federal prosecutor who has the requisite experience and integrity to faithfully execute the duties of that office. The time is now for us to work together to identify a candidate who can meet those requirements.
At the beginning of this Administration, we engaged in good faith discussions with the White House Counsel’s Office to identify qualified candidates for the U.S. Attorney vacancy. While those conversations were ongoing, we learned only from news reports that Ms. Habba would be appointed by the Attorney General and then formally nominated by the President. Now that two courts have found that Ms. Habba was not legally appointed and she has resigned from the role, we are hopeful that we can reengage to fulfill our constitutionally mandated role to provide advice and consent.
Rather than prolong this issue at the expense of the people of New Jersey and the orderly functioning of the federal legal system, we urge you to work with us to select a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey in the manner required by the Constitution and federal law. To do otherwise would be a disservice to the people we serve, whose interests must remain the shared focus of all our efforts.
We look forward to your prompt attention to this matter.