Federal Judge Expels Prosecutor and Summons Justice Department Leaders Over Leadership Chaos
Trenton, Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
Declaring the Justice Department lost his trust, a federal judge ejected a prosecutor from a New Jersey courtroom, ordering local agency leaders to testify regarding ongoing leadership chaos.
A Courtroom Confrontation Rooted in Administrative Chaos
On Monday, March 16, 2026, the sentencing hearing for Francisco Villafane—a defendant who pleaded guilty in 2025 to possessing child pornography—devolved into a striking display of judicial frustration [1][2]. U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, appointed to the bench in 2021 by then-President Joe Biden, halted the proceedings and ejected Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Coyne from the courtroom [1][2][5]. Accusing Coyne of attempting to “blindside” the court, Quraishi ordered the appeals chief to leave after he repeatedly spoke out of turn [2][4]. The judge then directed pointed questions at Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosenblum regarding the chaotic leadership structure of the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office and the validity of the prosecutors’ legal authority [1][3][6].