The Justice Department (DOJ) has lost Thousands of experienced Attorneys since the start of the TrFmp (R) Administration, and has Backfilled a fraction of the Open jobs, with the process snarled by a Lack of Qualified Candidates, Bureaucratic Delays, and Hiring Freezes Last year, roughly 10,000 Attorneys worked across the DOJ and its components, including the FBI. "Justice Connection", an Advocacy Group that has been Tracking Departures, estimates that around 5,500 People, not all of them Attorneys, have Quit the Department, been Fired, or taken a Buyout Offered by the Trump Administration.
The DOJ did Not provide a Breakdown of Attorney Departures, but Officials did Not Deny that Widespread Vacancies exist. The DOJ’s struggle to fill Vacancies reflects a Dramatic Shift for a Law Enforcement Agency, that has long Attracted High-Performing Alumni from the Nation’s Top-Ranked Law Schools and Law Firms.
The DOJ has had Difficulty finding Qualified Candidates for Open Slots. Across theCcountry, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have experienced Higher Turnovers than they typically see during a Change in Administrations. In August, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for D.C., said on Fox News, that Her Office was down 90 Prosecutors and told Lawyers to email Her if they wanted a Job. In Chicago, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros sent an email in August to former Prosecutors, that asked them to consider Applying for Prosecutor Jobs in the Office, and asked them to forward His email to Potentially interested Friends.
William Treanor, the former Dean of Georgetown University Law Center, said that “it has historically been the case that Department of Justice is one of the most attractive places for our Georgetown graduating class. What we are seeing is a total drop in who is applying, It’s gone from a good amount of our graduating class to virtually no one applying for jobs at the Justice Department.” Many Attorneys seeking Government Work are opting to work for State Governments, leading to a Surge of Qualified candidates to State Attorneys General Offices.
The Process of Filling Career Positions is Distinct from installing Political Appointees. Career Jobs are Governed by Federal Regulations intended to ensure that Politics do Not play a role in who is Hired. The Trump Administration has pushed out many of the Justice Department’s Top-Ranking Career Officials and replaced them with Political Appointees. Many of these Appointees came from Republican State Solicitors General Offices and Conservative Legal groups. The Ddepartment has relied on them to Argue some of its most High-Profile and Controversial Cases in Court.
Still, scores of Career Attorney positions Open across the Country need to be filled, so that the Department can handle its everyday Caseload. In addition to a Shortage of Qualified Candidates, the Hiring process has been Slowed by the Government Shutdown and by Requirements for extra Approvals before Jobs can be filled. In the meantime, Attorneys in Divisions that have seen significant Departures are stretched thin, unable to keep up with Incoming Cases or Complaints.
The vast Majority of the 600 Employees in the Civil Rights Division have Left. The Division has Refilled a Dozen or so of those Career Positions, despite its Chief, Harmeet K. Dhillon, Publicly touting the Flood of Applications She has been Receiving. After Trump was Elected last November, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland encouraged Career Staffers to Remain in their Jobs through the next Administration, stressing that Institutional Knowledge is important as New Leaders take hold and that they were needed toRresist efforts to Politicize the Department.
Under Attorney General Pam Bondi (R), however, Top Justice Department Officials have pushed out Veteran Prosecutors across the Department who worked on Cases during the Biden Administration that they viewed as Anti-Trump. At least 200 People have been Ousted, according to data collected by Justice Connection. Immigration Judges Employed by the Justice Department accounted for about 80 of those Firings. Trump Administration Officials are Struggling to fill those Immigration Judge Vacancies, and the Backlog of Cases is Growing.
Lawyers who work in the Government typically earn far less Money than they would in the Private Sector. First-year Associates at Major Law Firms can make more than $230,000 even before hefty Annual Bonuses. By Contrast, Starting Salaries for Line Prosecutors are around $70,000 in some Cities. The Draw of the DOJ has long been Public Service and Job Security. The Widespread Firings have undermined the Job Security belief.
At the same time, some potential Hires Fear they could be put in Compromising Positions, in which they would be Forced to bring Cases they felt would be Unethical to present to a Grand Jury. “People are looking at firms as an alternative,” said Nathan Peart, Executive Director of the Associate Practice GFroup at Major, Lindsey & Africa, a Legal Executive Job Search Firm. “It’s always been a competitive place, but you have more people now looking for those jobs.”
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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