A federal judge in New Jersey on Thursday ruled that former Trump defense attorney Alina Habba is not lawfully serving as the state's U.S. attorney.

The ruling came in response to a filing brought on behalf of defendants in New Jersey, who argued that Habba lacked legal authority to prosecute them after her 120-day interim appointment lapsed in July. The defendants sought to block the charges against them entirely, contending that any case brought under her authority should not stand.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission named a senior military judge as enforcement director on Thursday, in what legal sources said was an unconventional pick for the top job policing Wall Street.

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 denied a request from Brian Walshe to dismiss an indictment charging him with killing and dismembering his wife, Ana Walshe, in their Cohasset home, writing that “evidence of motive was significant” in the case.

ATLANTA (AP) — Lawyers for a Spanish-language journalist who has been held in federal immigration detention since June argue in a court filing that the government is retaliating against him for his news coverage and is holding him in violation of his constitutional rights.