Judge Throws Federal Prosecutor Out of Courtroom, Orders DOJ to Testify About Habba
A federal judge ejected a DOJ prosecutor from his courtroom after he tried to "blindside the court," then told the office: "Generations of AUSAs built the goodwill of that office for your generation to destroy it within a year."
On March 16, 2026, U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi ejected Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Coyne from his Newark courtroom during a sentencing hearing for a child sexual abuse materials case — after Coyne repeatedly interjected without filing a notice of appearance despite explicit orders to remain silent.
The hearing unraveled when the judge discovered the proposed sentence was far below advisory guidelines. Line prosecutor Daniel Rosenblum admitted he hadn't reviewed all the evidence before executing the plea agreement. When Coyne tried to intervene from the gallery without authorization, the judge warned him: "If you continue to speak, you can leave." Coyne continued. The judge directed court security to remove him.
Judge Quraishi then delivered a devastating assessment of the office:
"Generations of Assistant U.S. Attorneys had built the goodwill of that office for your generation to destroy it within a year."
He told Rosenblum: "You have lost the confidence and the trust of this Court."
The chaos stemmed from Trump's appointment of Alina Habba — his former personal attorney — as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. Courts ruled her appointment violated the Constitution's Appointments Clause (she was never Senate-confirmed). When her interim appointment expired, attempts to reinstall her as "Acting" were also deemed illegal. A three-person leadership arrangement that replaced her was also ruled unlawful by another judge.
Judge Quraishi questioned whether Habba still controlled the office despite her official departure. He ordered three top officials to testify under oath about who is actually running the office, threatening to summon Habba herself and Deputy AG Todd Blanche if the answers were unsatisfactory.