A packed 18 bus pulls up near Girls High at Broad and Olney Streets on Aug. 25, 2025 in Philadelphia. A new lawsuit claims that SEPTA’s deep service cuts harm communities of color and low-income riders. Photo credit: Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Consumer advocates and two SEPTA riders sued the transit agency on Wednesday seeking to stop service reductions, arguing that the cuts unlawfully place a greater burden on people of color and low-income communities.
Philadelphia lawyer George Bochetto filed the complaint in Common Pleas Court on behalf of consumer advocate Lance Haver and two Black SEPTA users in Philadelphia who say they have been harmed.
The transit agency projects a $213 million deficit in its operations budget this fiscal year, which began July 1, and says the shortfall will continue each year without a stable source of state funding.
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The Trump administration is halting wind projects that had been approved, financed, and underway — while providing little to no justification.
Components for the ongoing construction of the Revolution Wind offshore wind farm in New London, Conn., in November. Credit…Cj Gunther/EPA, via Shutterstock
When the Trump administration ordered that construction stop last week at Revolution Wind, a giant wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island that was nearly finished, it alluded vaguely to national security concerns but did not offer any further explanation.
It’s becoming a striking pattern.
The order was the third time the Trump administration had revoked permits or halted work on wind farms that had already received federal approval while offering little legal justification for doing so, following actions against wind projects in New York and Idaho. Legal experts say that there is little basis for blocking projects that have already received permits.
The Trump administration has signaled in a court filing that it next plans to rescind federal approvals for yet another wind farm, the Maryland Offshore Wind Project, which had not yet begun construction but would consist of up to 114 wind turbines off the coast of Ocean City, Md. The filing was first reported by WBOC.
These extraordinary moves are creating a crisis for the wind industry, experts said, putting thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of investments at risk. Even if developers are able to challenge the legality of the administration’s actions in court and ultimately win, the delays can drive up costs and inject enough uncertainty to potentially kill wind projects.
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The filing means the case will now head to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Habba has not gone quietly, though. She appeared on Fox News over the weekend to talk about the process used by the U.S. Senate to approve judicial nominations.
A tradition known as “blue slips” makes it possible for senators to block judicial and U.S. attorney nominees in their home states from advancing.
She took aim at the two New Jersey senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both of whom have criticized Habba’s nomination.
“Senator Booker and Senator Kim had absolutely every right to vote no for me for the U.S. attorney position, but I had the right as the nominee to get in front of the Senate and to be voted on, to be vetted. I never even got there. Of course not. I was, according to them, unqualified,” Habba said. “Look at Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ tweet. Because I arrested a congresswoman for a charge of assaulting a police officer. And you know what? I stand by my work as the U.S. attorney, and I won’t be intimidated by this type of political rhetoric.”
The arrest Habba cited is that of Rep. LaMonica McIver in relation to the incident at Delaney Hall in Newark in May. McIver, along with Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez visited to inspect the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainments happening at the site.
Trump picks a losing fight with the longest-serving GOP senator
Chuck Grassley was first elected to Congress in 1974 and won his Senate seat in 1980. Over half a century on Capitol Hill, the Iowa Republican has been in the minority party about a year longer than in the majority. Grassley’s experience in and out of power underscores why he is leading the Senate GOP’s resistance to escalating pressure from President Donald Trump to abandon an important tradition called the blue slip.
The senatorial courtesy gives deference to home-state senators on a president’s picks for U.S. attorney and district courts. If both senators from a state oppose a nominee, they refuse to return a colored form — literally a blue slip — and that person does not get a vote. For more than a century, this has been central to how the Senate performs its constitutional duty to advise and consent on nominees. It has incentivized presidents in both parties to solicit input from the opposition and elevated mainstream picks over extremists.
Professor Jacob Elberg, of Seton Hall Law School and a former assistant attorney in New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney’s office, spoke with NJ Spotlight News about the ruling and its potential impact on federal prosecutions in New Jersey.
Who is Alina Habba? (Source: Wikipoedia)
Alina Saad Habba (Arabic: ألينا حبة, born March 25, 1984) is an American lawyer and political advisor who has served as the acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey since March 2025; her continued tenure since July 2025 is disputed, and was voided by a judge, though he stayed his order.[2] Habba previously served as a counselor to the president. From 2021 to 2025, she was a legal spokesperson for President Donald Trump and a senior advisor for MAGA, Inc., Trump’s super PAC.[3][4]
Between 2005 and 2007, Habba worked in the fashion industry in accessories production and marketing with executives at Marc Jacobs. According to her, though she enjoyed the fashion industry, she decided to attend law school for financial reasons.[8] She obtained a Juris Doctor from the Widener University Commonwealth Law School in 2010.[10][11]
Law career
After completing law school, Habba served as a law clerk to Eugene J. Codey Jr., then-Presiding Judge of the Civil Superior Court in Essex County, New Jersey, from 2010 to 2011.[12][13] Habba began private practice in September 2011, when she joined as an associate at Tompkins, McGuire, Wachenfeld & Barry, LLP, where she worked from September 2011 to February 2013. From February 2013 to March 2020, she was an equity partner and the Managing Partner of Sandelands Eyet LLP, a seven-attorney firm formed by her then-husband in 2013.[14][15][16] In March 2020, Habba left to start her own firm. The firm, Habba, Madaio, and Associates LLP, employs five people.[8] Along with the firm’s Bedminster, New Jersey office, Habba has an office in Manhattan.[17][18]
Habba is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.[12][19] She has served as lead counsel for three cases, including a federal class action suit against a New Jersey nursing home accused of various negligent acts and consumer fraud violations.[17] Habba has also held the position of general counsel for her second husband’s parking garage company.[17] She has represented clients in various legal cases, including a man suing a nursing home in New Jersey,[20] and a student seeking a refund for college tuition after the University of Bridgeport moved classes to an online format.[21][22]
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A federal judge in Pennsylvania has ruled that Alina Habba, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, does not have the authority to serve as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor because of the Trump administration’s violation of appointment rules.
Judge Matthew Brann’s decision halts Habba’s involvement in ongoing cases and deepens concerns over how the U.S. Justice Department is handling the appointments of top prosecutors.
“Faced with the question of whether Ms. Habba is lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, I conclude that she is not,” Brann, the chief district judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, wrote in a 77-page ruling that was released Thursday.
Professor Jacob Elberg, of Seton Hall Law School and a former assistant attorney in New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney’s office, spoke with NJ Spotlight News about the ruling and its potential impact on federal prosecutions in New Jersey.
“It’s a real problem,” said Elberg. “First of all, leadership uncertainty in any organization is a significant challenge. But here, it’s worse than that because these cases are hard enough. The job is hard enough without dealing with the potential that cases may be viewed as not legitimate because of her involvement, and in fact that she’s unlawfully in the position.”
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By Veronica Flesher, Patch Staff, Updated Thu, Aug 21, 2025 at 2:23 pm ET
High surf is seen in Seaside Heights on Aug. 19. (Karen Wall/Patch)
Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a State of Emergency for all of New Jersey on Thursday as Hurricane Erin makes its closest pass, bringing 17-foot waves, major coastal flooding to parts of the shore, life-threatening rip currents, and eroding beaches.
This went into effect at 2 p.m.
“Over the past couple of days, we have seen the effects of Hurricane Erin along the Jersey Shore in the form of dangerous rip tides. Today and tomorrow will be no exception,” Murphy said. “As the storm moves past New Jersey over the next 24 hours, we are expecting high surf and rip currents, coastal and flash flooding, and a high erosion risk in parts of the state. We ask all New Jerseyans to monitor local weather forecasts and warnings and stay informed on evacuation protocols, especially if you’re down the Shore.”
Murphy encouraged residents to visit ready.nj.gov for important weather updates and safety information. Those in affected areas are asked to be mindful of evacuation routes.
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