Alina Habba Resigns As NJ's Top Prosecutor: Here's Who's Taking Over

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

Alina Habba has resigned from leading the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey following a federal appeals court ruling that found she was unlawfully appointed, officials said.

On Monday, Dec. 1, a three-judge panel ruled that Habba’s appointment, made without Senate confirmation or approval by a district trial court judge, violated federal law.

Her resignation was announced on Monday, Dec. 8, as Attorney General Pamela Bondi moved to stabilize leadership within the office.

Bondi appointed three senior officials to take over key divisions of the district:

• Philip Lamparello will serve as Senior Counsel and will supervise the Criminal Division and Special Prosecutions Division. According to his LinkedIn, he previously served as Senior Counsel in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and spent nearly a decade as a partner at Chasan Lamparello Mallon & Cappuzzo. He also worked as general counsel for North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, serves on the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Board of Trustees, and has edited New Jersey Lawyer magazine since 2014. He reportedly attended Delbarton, graduating with the Class of 2022, then earned his JD from Seton Hall and his BA from UPenn.
• Jordan Fox was named Special Attorney and will oversee the Civil Division and Appellate Division, along with other matters assigned in the district. Her background includes litigation roles at major New Jersey firms and a clerkship with New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Lee A. Solomon. Jordan earned her law degree, graduating cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law, where she served as the Honorable Harold A. Ackerman Judicial Fellow. She completed her undergraduate studies at Gettysburg College, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in political science and membership in Phi Beta Kappa. She previously attended Immaculate Heart Academy.
• Ari Fontecchio will serve as Executive Assistant United States Attorney and will oversee the Administrative Division and additional administrative responsibilities. He's spent nine years with the Department of Justice, serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and as Chief of the Healthcare Fraud Unit in Newark, as well as Counselor to the Attorney General in Washington, his LinkedIn shows. He earned his J.D. from Cardozo School of Law, where he served on the Cardozo Law Review and participated in the Mediation Clinic. He holds a master’s degree in education from the City College of the City University of New York, where he was a New York City Teaching Fellow. He completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, graduating cum laude with a degree in English, and previously attended Framingham High School.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said: “The Department of Justice is committed to bringing in the best and brightest to carry out our mission.” He added, “I have full confidence in each of these exceptional attorneys and look forward to our continued collaboration as we make New Jersey and America safe again.”