The Department of Justice has been hemorrhaging staff under President Donald Trump, with thousands of attorneys leaving and few being hired to replace them, according to a new report.
Since January, nearly 5,500 DOJ career employees have quit, taken a buyout, or been fired, according to Justice Connection, an advocacy group composed of department alumni.
A Justice Connection spokesperson told The Independent that its estimates are based on both public reporting and non-public information the group has gathered.
As a result, the department is grappling with sweeping vacancies amidst a dearth of qualified applicants, according to The Washington Post.
Historically, the Justice Department — which employs more than 10,000 attorneys nationwide — has been a magnet for top legal talent, drawing applicants from Ivy League schools and white shoe law firms. But sources told the outlet that the recent mass firings and concerns about politically motivated prosecutions may be driving people away.
A department spokesperson told The Independent, “The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring taxpayer dollars are used efficiently by hiring the best and most qualified individuals to serve the American people.”
I hope the lawyers keep quitting and no one replaces them until this administration has been tossed in the trash. I worry that if lawyers with consciences don’t come back, though, their positions will be filled by sycophants. I also worry that once the Democrats take back over they will be unwilling to fire the new right-wing sycophants.
The big problem, according to what I’ve been reading, will be that government jobs don’t pay as well as private sector jobs but good lawyers would work for the DoJ for:
Those reasons have been utterly destroyed by this administration. The first reason might be revived but the second one, like all federal jobs now, will take a long time to be trusted.
You mean you’re worried if lawyers with conscious don’t come back after this administration or after this string of fascist administrations to follow right?