On Saturday, December 13, 2025, Bloomberg Law reported that Julianne Murray, the acting U.S. Attorney for Delaware, appointed during the Trump administration, resigned from her position on Friday, December 12, 2025. This decision followed a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that deemed the appointment of Alina Habba as acting U.S. Attorney in New Jersey unlawful. The Third Circuit’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, prompting Murray to step down to prevent her office from becoming a “political football.”
Murray, a former chair of the Delaware GOP, announced her resignation via a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Shortly after her announcement, Chief Judge Colm Connolly of the District of Delaware appointed Ben Wallace, who previously served as the office’s first assistant, as the new U.S. Attorney.
Murray’s resignation occurred shortly after Habba, who previously served as a personal lawyer for Donald Trump, also stepped down from her role. The Trump administration is currently considering an appeal of the Third Circuit’s ruling regarding Habba’s appointment. Habba is among six U.S. attorneys appointed by the Trump administration whose appointments have faced legal challenges. Federal courts have so far ruled that four of these appointments were unlawful.
Although Murray’s appointment had not been formally challenged in court, a federal judge in Delaware previously declined to extend her leadership of the office after her initial 120-day interim term concluded in November. Subsequently, the Justice Department designated her as “acting” U.S. Attorney, mirroring a strategy employed by the Trump administration to maintain its preferred candidates in key prosecutor roles despite lacking district court support or Senate confirmation.
Murray alleged that Delaware’s Democratic senators, Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester, obstructed her potential nomination by withholding their support through the “blue slip” tradition. This tradition allows home-state senators to express their support or opposition to judicial nominees. Murray criticized the blue slip process, stating that it was costing Delaware a U.S. Attorney and negatively impacting the country.
Senator Coons issued a statement acknowledging Murray’s service and expressing gratitude for her efforts to ensure the safety of Delawareans. He noted that he and Blunt Rochester had interviewed Murray earlier in the year while considering recommendations for a U.S. Attorney nominee, but ultimately concluded that she was not the appropriate candidate to lead the office. Coons stated that he would not have returned his blue slip had she been formally nominated.
Trump and his supporters have been critical of the blue slip process, accusing Democrats of using it to impede his nominations. Habba voiced her support for Murray, stating that she served Delaware with dignity and a focus on combating crime. Habba also claimed that the “political machine” was attempting to undermine the Department of Justice’s fundamental principles and the separation of powers due to a broken Senate tradition and “rogue judges” in predominantly Democratic states.
The status of another Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, Pete Serrano, in the Eastern District of Washington, is also uncertain. Serrano’s interim term expired this week without judicial extension, and his title has been changed to “First Assistant and Special Attorney,” according to the office’s website.
Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) has criticized this move, accusing the Trump administration of circumventing the Constitution and Congress by appointing Serrano to a position he is allegedly unqualified to hold.
