Tom Borman, contributing writer
In the ever-churning world of Trump-adjacent legal drama, Alina Habba has just pulled off a career pivot that would make most attorneys’ heads spin. From defending the former president in a seemingly endless parade of legal spectacles to suddenly becoming the interim US Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Habba’s career reads like a fever dream cooked up in the most unpredictable corners of political legal theater.
Habba isn’t your typical big law lineage story. After a detour through the fashion world at Marc Jacobs, she pivoted to law, graduating from Widener University in 2010.
Her entry into Trump’s legal orbit came via a chance encounter at his Bedminster country club and she quickly became a regular participant in his legal battles.
Her resume reads like a greatest hits of Trump’s most notorious legal challenges, including defending him in the Summer Zervos sexual assault case, sparring with judges in the New York civil fraud trial, and standing by his side during the hush money conviction.
She’s been more than a lawyer as she has taken the Trump combative approach to his battles, openly criticizing judges like Arthur Engoron and Lewis Kaplan with a brazenness that would make most attorneys wince.
Now, she’s been tapped as interim US Attorney in a move that feels simultaneously surprising and completely on-brand for the Trump White House.
Her ability to stir legal and political pots is nothing to her.
She has recently posted to X and her half million social media followers a look at Biden’s ‘fake oval office’ – as below –
And her comments about veterans fired from federal jobs stirred controversy recently.
Her appointment isn’t just a job change but also a statement. Her public declaration of intent to “end the weaponization of justice” is typical Trump banter, reading more manifesto than professional commitment.
She is also a managing partner of Habba, Madaio & Associates, New Jersey. She was formerly married to Matthew Eyet who practices from Eyet Law LLC where Habba had prevously worked with and specializes in corporate tax law. She is now married to parking lot owner Gregg Reuben who she married in 2020 shortly after divorcing Eyet, with whom she had two children.
What makes Habba fascinating isn’t just her legal acumen, which is undoubted, but her ability to navigate the razor’s edge between legal representation and political theater.
She’s not just practicing law but rather she’s creating a narrative, a skill that’s become increasingly valuable in our hyper-politicized legal world under the Trump administration.
Her background is one of Iraqi-descent, New Jersey born, with a path that zigzagged through fashion and law, making her an intriguing case study in modern legal careerism.
She’s been named “Chaldean Woman of the Year,” speaks at rallies, and serves as a senior advisor to MAGA Inc.
The interim US Attorney role isn’t just a job for Habba. It’s another stage in her ongoing performance comprising part legal professional, part political provocateur, and entirely unpredictable.
Who does that sound like, do you think?
