Federal judges appointed another new U.S. Attorney in N.J.

New Jersey has another new U.S. attorney.

District court judges on Monday said veteran Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer would lead the office, the latest twist in an ongoing leadership saga that has been unfolding in the state’s legal system over the past year.

Frazer’s promotion to serve as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor took effect immediately and was made official in a one-page order signed by U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb.

The decision came just weeks after another judge had separately ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration had acted “unlawfully” in appointing three officials to lead the office together. That ruling was one of several since the summer that had pitted the judiciary against top officials in the Justice Department over questions of who could serve as New Jersey’s U.S. attorney.

By contrast, Monday’s appointment of Frazer appeared to have Justice Department support. Alina Habba — a top aide to Attorney General Pam Bondi and the former interim top prosecutor in New Jersey — said on social media that judges worked with Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on the issue, and that Frazer “will be a great champion of this state and the mission of the [Justice Department].”

“New Jersey deserves a great chief federal law enforcement official who is in line with President Trump’s agenda of making this country safe and NJ great!” Habba wrote on X.

A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement: “The Department of Justice thanks the district court for working with the Department to appoint Robert Frazer to serve as US Attorney so that once again criminal prosecutions can resume without needless challenge or delay on behalf of the people of New Jersey.”

The leadership saga dates to last year, when Trump appointed Habba — one of his former personal lawyers — to serve as the state’s top federal prosecutor, a powerful position tasked with enforcing federal criminal and civil law.

Habba was initially named interim U.S. attorney, a title that permitted her to stay in the job for 120 days. But the administration then tried to keep her on past that deadline without getting U.S. Senate confirmation — including by re-appointing her and firing a replacement chosen by the state’s federal judges.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann disqualified Habba in August, saying the administration had acted unlawfully in its bid to keep her in power.

Bondi then replaced Habba with three attorneys: Philip Lamparello, Jordan Fox, and Ari Fontecchio, each assigned to supervise different divisions.

Earlier this month, Brann ruled that the triumvirate had also been installed unlawfully, and he ordered the officials disqualified from their posts. He also accused the Trump administration of seeking to effectively sideline Congress and the judiciary in its quest to install its preferred leaders.

Brann had paused his decision to allow the government a chance to appeal. But the ruling nonetheless caused issues, and at least one judge declined to hold a routine sentencing hearing due to questions about who was leading the prosecutor’s office.

Monday’s decision to install Frazer could render some of those legal questions moot, at least moving forward. It was not immediately clear if the Justice Department would continue appealing Brann’s ruling disqualifying the triumvirate.

Frazer, in a statement Monday, said he was “honored and deeply grateful” to be selected to lead the office.

“I look forward to this new chapter in my 35-year career as a state and federal prosecutor,” he said. “I intend to continue this Office’s proud tradition of excellence as we work every day to protect the people of New Jersey and uphold the rule of law.”