The basics:

• Robert Frazer appointed US Attorney for New Jersey by district judges
• Veteran prosecutor served 20+ years, most recently in organized crime unit
• Appointment follows legal disputes over prior interim US Attorney Alina Habba
• Frazer’s selection ends year of rapid leadership changes, court battles

Career prosecutor Robert Frazer will lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.

In a March 23 court filing, New Jersey’s District Court judges named Frazer to the post, effective immediately.

According to the New Jersey Globe, the Department of Justice said the decision to elevate Frazer followed consultation between senior leadership and the District Court.

Under federal law, district court judges have the authority to hold a vote and appoint someone if the position is vacant.

A veteran of the office for more than two decades, Frazer was most recently senior trial counsel in the organized crime and gangs unit.

Because the appointment is backed by the district’s judges and the Trump administration, it appears to end an ongoing fight over control over the office. Over the past year, the office has experienced unusually rapid leadership changes and legal conflict over who is legally authorized to serve as U.S. attorney.

Revolving door

Ahead of President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney Phillip Sellinger resigned.

Three months later, Trump appointed his former personal lawyer Alina Habba as interim U.S. attorney.

However, New Jersey Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker, both Democrats, have publicly refused to endorse her, making a Senate confirmation for a full four-year term unlikely. A panel of federal judges from New Jersey intervened when the Senate did not sign off on Habba within the 120-day window required by federal law.

When Habba’s 120 day term ended, the court temporarily installed her first assistant, Desiree Leigh Grace. The Justice Department then quickly removed her.

Legal battles continued until December 2025. At the end of last year, a federal appeals court ruled Habba’s appointment unlawful. She subsequently resigned. She was then selected as a senior advisor to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Frazer’s appointment comes two weeks after a federal judge disqualified leadership at the office. That ruling removed a trio of officials selected by the Trump administration late last year to jointly lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.

The latest reactions

In a social media post, Habba congratulated Frazer.

“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! I know Rob well and he will be a great champion of this state and mission of the @TheJusticeDept. One thing should be clear- when judges work with @AGPamBondi and @DAGToddBlanche under @POTUS to collaborate on serving what an overwhelming majority of Americans asked for at the ballots and not attack mindlessly for political gain THINGS GET DONE,” she wrote.

In a joint statement, Booker and Kim said, “The people of New Jersey deserve a U.S. Attorney’s Office focused on keeping them safe, not one mired in constitutional crisis because the Administration refused to follow the rule of law. The Office can now at long last move past the chaos and partisanship of the past year and return to its critical mission: combating violent crime, fighting public corruption, dismantling drug trafficking networks, and protecting the rights of all New Jerseyans.

“We look forward to meeting with Mr. Frazer to discuss how we can work together to best serve the people of our state.”