{"id":2602452,"date":"2026-05-13T21:21:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T01:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-accuses-dc-bar-authority-of-unfairly-targeting-federal-lawyers\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T21:25:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T01:25:42","slug":"doj-accuses-dc-bar-authority-of-unfairly-targeting-federal-lawyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-accuses-dc-bar-authority-of-unfairly-targeting-federal-lawyers\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ accuses DC Bar authority of unfairly targeting federal lawyers"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-accuses-dc-bar-authority-of-unfairly-targeting-federal-lawyers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2602452&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Washington, D.C.\u2019s attorney disciplinary system. The DOJ alleges the D.C. Bar\u2019s oversight authorities have unfairly targeted federal lawyers-especially those connected to republican administrations-and that they improperly intrude on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-trump-adviser-peter-navarro-sentenced-to-four-months-in-prison-for-contempt\/\" title=\"Peter Navarro, former Trump adviser, gets four-month prison term for contempt\">executive branch decision-making<\/a> in ways that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-equate-typical-conservative-views-with-violent-extremism-in-financial-surveillance-house-weaponization-committee-finds\/\" title=\"House Weaponization Committee Finds: Feds Label Conservative Views as &#039;Violent Extremism&#039; in Financial Surveillance\">violate constitutional protections<\/a> for the independence of the executive branch.<\/p>\n<p>The complaint was brought against D.C. disciplinary officials and the Board on Professional Responsibility. acting Attorney general Todd Blanche described the system as a partisan tool, while Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the lawsuit aims to stop what the DOJ calls the \u201cweaponization\u201d of legal discipline against government attorneys.<\/p>\n<p>The filing also comes as the Trump management seeks to limit outside ethics probes of DOJ lawyers. The DOJ pointed to past ethics proceedings involving former interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin and former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, both of whom faced scrutiny tied to Trump-era legal and political conflicts.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"167\">Department of Justice<\/a> on Wednesday said it filed a complaint against Washington\u2019s attorney disciplinary system for allegedly unfairly targeting federal lawyers and improperly intruding into sensitive executive branch decision-making. <\/p>\n<p>The complaint, filed in federal court, targets the District of Columbia\u2019s Bar disciplinary authorities, which oversee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sean-hannity-on-red-handed-i-hear-peter-schweizers-book-is-going-to-be-massive\/\" title=\"Sean Hannity on \u2018Red-Handed...: \u2018I Hear Peter Schweizer...s Book Is Going to Be Massive!...\">ethics investigations<\/a> involving attorneys licensed in the nation\u2019s capital. D.C. Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton P. Fox III, the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, and the D.C. Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility were the subjects of the complaint. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4567099\/florida-james-uthmeier-subpoena-nfl-rooney-rule-dei-hiring\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Florida attorney general subpoenas NFL over Rooney Rule and DEI hiring practices<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4566479\/south-carolina-supreme-court-overturns-alex-murdaugh-murder-conviction-new-trial\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>South Carolina Supreme Court overturns Alex Murdaugh\u2019s murder conviction and orders new trial<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4565665\/patel-van-hollen-7000-bar-tab\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Patel posts Van Hollen campaign\u2019s $7,000 bar tab after barbed Senate testimony<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The DOJ alleges the D.C. Bar\u2019s disciplinary system has engaged in a \u201cpattern of discriminatory enforcement\u201d against current and former federal attorneys, particularly those serving in Republican administrations, while violating constitutional protections tied to executive branch independence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Acting Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/todd-blanche\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"20883\">Todd Blanche<\/a> said the complaint is the result of a history of the D.C. Bar acting as a \u201cblatantly partisan arm of leftist causes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement that the lawsuit was intended to stop what the department called a \u201cweaponization of the legal process\u201d against government lawyers. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe D.C. Bar will no longer be permitted to probe sensitive Executive Branch deliberations and target Executive Branch officials with whom they happen to politically disagree, and Federal attorneys will once again be free to share their candid legal advice with their bosses and colleagues,\u201d Woodward said.<\/p>\n<p>The filing comes amid a broader effort by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"339\">Trump administration<\/a> to shield DOJ attorneys from outside ethics investigations. <\/p>\n<p>In March, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4480381\/doj-moves-block-state-ethics-investigations\/\">the department proposed a rule<\/a> that would require state bar authorities to pause disciplinary inquiries involving current or former DOJ lawyers while the department conducts its own internal review first.<\/p>\n<p>The administration has increasingly clashed with D.C. disciplinary authorities over cases involving President Donald Trump\u2019s allies and DOJ officials. <\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4567010\/appeals-court-grills-doj-over-trumps-third-country-deportation-policy\/\"><strong>APPEALS COURT GRILLS DOJ OVER TRUMP\u2019S \u2018THIRD COUNTRY\u2019 DEPORTATION POLICY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >complaint specifically references recent ethics proceedings<\/a> against former interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ed-martin\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11790\">Ed Martin<\/a> and former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, both of whom faced scrutiny over actions tied to Trump-era legal and political disputes. <\/p>\n<p>Martin, now serving as pardon attorney, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4486602\/dc-bar-targets-ed-martin-doj-bid-oversight-attorney-discipline\/\">was accused earlier this year<\/a> of ethical misconduct related to a letter pressuring Georgetown University Law Center over diversity policies. Clark has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3107847\/former-trump-doj-official-jeff-clark-spared-from-disbarment\/\">faced disciplinary proceedings stemming<\/a> from his role in efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ files complaint alleging D.C. Bar unfairly targets federal lawyers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4130,"featured_media":2602453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26118744956926.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[46857,7076,62121,36913],"class_list":["post-2602452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dc-bar","tag-doj","tag-federal-lawyers","tag-legal-ethics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26118744956926.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2602452"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2602456,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602452\/revisions\/2602456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2602453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2602452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2602452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2602452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}