A judge has ruled that President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Alina Habba, has been unlawfully serving as the the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey.

Alina Habba, President Trump's former personal lawyer, has been serving as New Jersey's U.S. attorney "without lawful authority" since early July, a judge said.

A federal judge on Thursday said President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Alina Habba is not legally serving as the acting US attorney for New Jersey, laying the groundwork for a potential appellate court review of the Trump administration’s method for installing some top prosecutors around the country.

A Pennsylvania judge holds the key to a legal storm brewing in New Jersey. His ruling could decide whether President Donald Trump’s longtime ally will keep her grip on the state’s top federal prosecutor job.

A judge found that Alina Habba was unlawfully serving in the role of acting U.S. attorney of New Jersey after President Donald Trump sidestepped typical processes to keep her in charge.

The ruling involved a subset of applicants who had won the right to apply for a visa under a lottery system aimed at fostering diversity.

It was a Political Witch Hunt, in a business sense, the likes of which no one has ever seen before," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The court, saying the administration used “a novel series of legal and personnel moves,” held that Habba’s term as the interim U.S. attorney ended in July, and the Trump administration’s maneuvers to keep her in the role without getting confirmation from the U.

The federal judge found that Habba has "unlawfully held the role" of the state's top prosecutor for more than a month.

Judge Matthew Brann ruled Habba has been acting without lawful authority, despite a gambit to keep her in the role after her interim tenure expired.

A federal judge tossed out part of a lawsuit brought by detainees at the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center in the Florida Everglades, handing a partial victory to the Trump administration.