Alina Habba gets Newark mayor’s defamation, false arrest lawsuit dismissed

U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti dismissed Newark Mayor Ras Baraka's lawsuit against Alina Habba, the former interim U.S. Attorney who had Baraka arrested on a trespassing charge at an ICE facility in 2025, a charge withdrawn just 10 days later after a magistrate judge called the episode 'embarrassing.' Martinotti acknowledged Baraka's complaint contained 'a litany of facts that are, candidly, concerning' but ruled he lacked legal grounds to pursue malicious prosecution or false arrest claims against a federal official under narrowing Supreme Court precedent.

Martinotti also dismissed Baraka's defamation claims, finding Habba's social media statements about the arrest were made within her role as a government employee, meaning any proper claim would run against the federal government itself rather than her personally. He noted Habba's own statement calling the underlying charges 'ultimately unfounded' given the government's own dismissal order.

Baraka has 21 days to file an amended complaint, though Martinotti expressed doubt he could allege facts sufficient to survive another motion to dismiss.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.