Restructuring within the Department of Justice leads to significant changes in its employee base
In the final months of the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) experienced a significant exodus of staff, with as many as 4,700 workers leaving the department this year. This mass departure was due to a combination of factors, including politically motivated restructuring and policy shifts that discouraged or displaced staff unwilling to align with the administration’s agenda.
Erez Reuveni, a former immigration lawyer at the Justice Department, was among those who left under controversial circumstances. Reuveni was fired after three weeks of being promoted to oversee about 100 lawyers. According to reports, he was let go for telling a judge a migrant had been deported by mistake, and the White House allegedly wanted him to call the migrant a terrorist. Reuveni later filed a whistleblower complaint, claiming a Justice Department official told him and others they might have to mislead judges in deportation cases.
The departures and transformations at the Justice Department have raised concerns about the institution's ability to defend the rule of law. Entire units, such as the Civil Rights Division and the group that defends federal programs, have been hollowed out, leading to a dramatic decrease in staff. The Civil Rights Division, for instance, saw a drop from over 90 employees to around 25 within months. Many employees left because they disagreed with efforts to halt enforcement actions related to religious freedom, reproductive health, policing, and protections for vulnerable populations such as prisoners and disabled people.
The impact on the institution has been significant. The exodus is expected to severely hamper the DOJ’s capacity to perform essential legal functions like combating discrimination, sexual harassment in housing, and abuses in schools and prisons. This undermines not only the department’s effectiveness but also the morale and stability of its workforce, as professionals face uncertainty or ethical conflicts with political directives.
Max Stier, who leads the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit group that promotes better government and stronger democracy, expresses concern about the current state of the Department of Justice. Stier, an alumnus of the DOJ, believes the harm to the department will be felt for years or even generations. Stacey Young, who runs Justice Connection, a nonprofit that helps DOJ workers, shares this sentiment, stating that the harm will be felt for a long time.
On her first day in office, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo requiring Justice Department lawyers to provide zealous representation of the U.S. government. However, Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, both personal lawyers for President Trump, have promised to change course and end what they call the weaponization of law enforcement.
This week, the Senate voted to confirm Emil Bove as a federal appeals court judge. Bove's confirmation has been met with criticism, given the ongoing concerns about the politicisation of the DOJ and the judiciary. Meanwhile, discipline up to and including termination may be imposed on lawyers who decline to follow the Department of Justice's mission.
As the new administration takes office, it remains to be seen how the DOJ will recover from these turbulent times and regain its reputation as a bastion of justice and impartiality.
- The ongoing exodus of staff from the Department of Justice (DOJ) due to politically motivated restructuring and policy shifts has raised concerns about the institution's ability to maintain its mission of defending the rule of law.
- The high-profile departure of Erez Reuveni, a former immigration lawyer at the Justice Department, underscores these concerns as he was fired under controversial circumstances for refusing to mislead judges in deportation cases.
- As the new administration takes office, the DOJ faces a significant challenge in recovering its reputation as a bastion of justice and impartiality, with concerns persisting about the politicization of the department and the judiciary.
