Judge rules Alina Habba was unlawfully appointed as U.S. Attorney in New Jersey

Alina Habba is sworn in as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, in Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Thursday sided with two New Jersey criminal defendants who sought to block a former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, Alina Habba, from prosecuting them based on a claim she was unlawfully appointed as the state’s top federal prosecutor.

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch; editing by Scott Malone)