A federal judge in New Jersey has expelled a government attorney from a hearing and ordered the three officials currently leading the state's U.S. Attorney's Office to testify under oath, escalating a dispute over the legitimacy of their appointments.
U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi on Monday vented frustration over what he called a 'sloppy investigation' and the office's chaotic management, which he said had compromised a child sexual abuse material case. The judge accused Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosenblum of losing the court's confidence and ordered his supervisor, Mark Coyne, to leave the courtroom after repeated interruptions.
The confrontation stems from a ruling last week by another judge, Matthew Brann, who found that the Trump administration's replacement of interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba with three officials—Philip Lamparello, Jordan Fox and Ari Fontecchio—violated the Constitution's Appointments Clause. Brann stayed his decision pending appeal but warned the government acted 'at its own risk' by keeping the trio in place.
Quraishi, a Biden appointee, said he did not believe Rosenblum's claims that the three officials were truly in charge and that Habba had no role. He ordered Lamparello, Fox and Fontecchio to testify on May 4, threatening to summon Habba and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche if their answers were unsatisfactory.
The judge also criticised prosecutors for reaching a plea agreement in the child abuse case before the FBI had finished searching the defendant's devices, resulting in a 'significantly lower' sentence than guidelines recommend. The sentencing was postponed.
A Justice Department spokesman criticised the judge's actions as 'courtroom theatrics and constitutional overreach', while the judge maintained that the prosecutors had lost public trust.
