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Over Half of DOJ’s Key Legal Team Quits Under Trump Pressure, Ethics Fears Mount
Over 60% of DOJ’s Federal Programs Branch lawyers have quit since Trump’s return, citing ethics concerns and pressure to defend controversial policies. Morale crumbles amid legal chaos.
ND
by News Desk
2025-07-14
Over Half of DOJ’s Key Legal Team Quits Under Trump Pressure, Ethics Fears Mount

The U.S. Justice Department's Federal Programs Branch — the legal unit tasked with defending the Trump administration's most controversial policies — has seen an unprecedented wave of resignations, with nearly two-thirds of its staff voluntarily departing since former President Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025.

A Reuters investigation, based on court records, LinkedIn data, and interviews with former DOJ officials, revealed that 69 of the unit’s roughly 110 lawyers have either quit or announced plans to leave. This mass exodus reportedly stems from mounting concerns over ethics, extreme workloads, and political pressure to defend legally dubious executive actions.

“Many of these people came to work at Federal Programs to defend aspects of our constitutional system,” said one former attorney. “How could they participate in the project of tearing it down?”

Legal Pressure and Internal Fallout

Former lawyers from the branch said the Trump White House has increasingly pressured government attorneys to defend sweeping policies such as:

  • Restricting birthright citizenship
  • Defunding institutions like Harvard University
  • Dismantling federal agencies

They cited ethical red lines, including fears of being forced to misrepresent facts or legal interpretations in court, violations that could lead to professional sanctions. Four former DOJ attorneys spoke anonymously to avoid retaliation.

A Justice Department spokesperson acknowledged a surge in lawsuits tied to Trump’s executive orders, but claimed the department “has defeated many of these lawsuits all the way up to the Supreme Court.”

The White House dismissed concerns, with spokesperson Harrison Fields calling career lawyers’ objections “faux outrage” and accusing them of turning a blind eye to past administrations’ actions.

Supervisors, Veterans Among Departures

Among the departures are at least 10 of the unit’s 23 supervisors, many of whom served across multiple administrations. While turnover is normal during political transitions, former attorneys described this wave as highly unusual in scale and urgency.

The Federal Programs Branch plays a critical role in defending federal policies in trial courts, and its losses have forced DOJ to reassign lawyers from other departments and bring in 15 political appointees, many aligned with conservative legal causes.

“We’ve never had an administration pushing the legal envelope so aggressively across so many domains,” said Peter Keisler, former Civil Division head under President George W. Bush. “Now they’re doing it with half the team.”

Trump’s DOJ Faces Ethical, Structural Strain

Former lawyers said that under Attorney General Pam Bondi, the DOJ has become increasingly politicized, with officials threatening disciplinary action against career attorneys who don’t vigorously defend the administration’s agenda.

In one high-profile case, Erez Reuveni, a former supervisor in the DOJ’s Office of Immigration Litigation, was fired after allegedly refusing to make unsupported legal arguments. He has since filed a whistleblower complaint, saying he faced pressure to mislead courts.

The situation has stoked fear among current staff. Lawyers worry they may be forced to take legally or ethically questionable positions or face retaliation.

Political Appointees Push Legal Boundaries

Legal analysts note that Trump’s DOJ is testing a new Supreme Court precedent limiting the scope of nationwide injunctions, aiming to reverse or narrow prior court rulings through attrition and legal reinterpretation.

Meanwhile, DOJ lawyers are defending Trump’s order on birthright citizenship against nationwide class action lawsuits, even as one judge has already granted class status in a challenge.

A Department in Crisis

The Federal Programs Branch, traditionally a nonpartisan legal defense arm of the government, is now being reshaped into a frontline force for controversial executive actions — often without full legal or factual clarity from federal agencies, former lawyers said.

Despite the turmoil, DOJ officials continue to maintain that the department is staffing up and operating within legal norms.

However, the widespread resignations, internal unease, and ongoing legal confrontations suggest that the Justice Department's capacity to defend Trump’s agenda is under historic strain, with deep implications for the legal integrity of federal policymaking.

 
Tagged:

TrumpPolicies

DOJExodus

FederalProgramsBranch

LegalCrisis
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