Well, this is a pretty kettle of fish (and how can that be pretty, anyhow). Seems that the DoJ isn’t doing very well. Not only are they *losing* talent of all kinds, they’re having trouble *getting* it. That seems odd. You would think that would be the pinnacle of someone’s career. Instead, people are looking elsewhere. From Raw Story:
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has lost thousands of experienced staff — many of whom are attorneys — and it has so far been unable to bring in enough new talent to make up for its losses. That’s according to a Monday article by the Washington Post’s Perry Stein, who reported that despite the DOJ previously being seen as a premier destination for graduates of top law schools, its recruiting numbers have since “plummeted” during President Donald Trump’s second term. While the DOJ keeps roughly 10,000 attorneys on its payroll at any given time, the Post reported that the DOJ has since lost roughly 5,500 staff (not all of whom are attorneys) due to resignations, firings, or buyout offers from the administration.
Oh, my. You know all about the things Blondi has done, and a couple of AGs (see Jeanne Pirro and Lindsey Halligan), but otherwise it’s been disconcertingly quiet. (We won’t get into revenge cases being filed with “judge” Aileen Cannon.) And it’s not *just* attorneys. It’s support staff, too. Eight months should be long enough to realize you’re doing something wrong. But when has wrong ever entered into the equation here with this group?
Many of the departures include the vast bulk of the 600 people in the DOJ’s civil rights division, along with hundreds of prosecutors who worked on cases involving January 6 defendants, and those who assisted Special Counsels Robert Mueller and Jack Smith in their investigations of Trump. Other prosecutors have been driven out for refusing to bring cases against Trump’s political enemies due to a lack of evidence. Former Georgetown Law Center Dean William Treanor told the Post that the Washington D.C.-based university used to be a pipeline to the DOJ for its top graduates. However, he said there’s since been “a total drop in who is applying.”
It seems some people have morals and believe in the law. Imagine that! With so much going wrong in our legal system (and won’t get started on *that*, either), to find people who are willing to do their job *the right way* (*NOT* looking at you, Supreme Court) is nearly a miracle. And it’s sorely needed these days. We have so much going *wrong*. To close:
Stein reported that U.S. attorneys’ offices are seeing much higher turnover than in previous administrations. “I was astonished. I have never seen anything like that. When I came to the U.S. attorney’s office, I had won 13 state murder prosecutions, and I still thought I had such a slim chance of getting a job because it was such an ultracompetitive place,” retired Chicago attorney Mark Rotert told the Post. “Now it’s like, ‘If you ever threw a pass, do you want to be a quarterback?'”
Oof. That seems backwards. Wouldn’t you *want* top talent at the DoJ? Or do they just want people who will somehow do what they are told? It seems they are in just as bad a situation as the country is. It’s yet another sign of the times with Trump in office. We have a dictator-wanna-be, aided and abetted by his right-hand woman. We are sliding downhill faster every day.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula






















Maybe the talented attorneys don’t want to throw away their careers and risk sanction or disbarment to fight unwinnable cases. Hopefully when (if?) we get a competent president and good AG, the talent will return.
Great slogan : “Like to follow orders? Don’t ask too many questions? Join the DOJ — There’s a disbarment in your future!”