Even seasoned lawyers can’t keep up with the nonstop legal battles triggered by President Donald Trump’s policies. Many have simply had enough and are walking away from their jobs.
Since the 2024 election, nearly two-thirds of the lawyers in the Justice Department’s Federal Programs Branch the team responsible for defending Trump’s policies in court—have quit. That’s about 69 out of 110 attorneys, according to a report from Reuters.
One former lawyer said morale in the office had plummeted. The constant legal fights over controversial policies like ending birthright citizenship, detaining and deporting migrants without normal legal procedures, putting tariffs on U.S. allies, and reshaping how federal agencies work—have left many lawyers burned out or disillusioned. At least four lawyers said they resigned because they believed some of Trump’s actions—like trying to dismantle agencies and cut off funding to schools like Harvard—were unconstitutional.
One lawyer summed up the frustration by saying that many people joined this division of the DOJ because they believed in defending the U.S. legal system, not helping to tear it down.
Three other lawyers said they quit because they were pressured to bend the truth in court or felt their ethics were being compromised. They were afraid they might be punished for refusing to go along with it.
It’s normal for staff turnover to happen when a new president takes office, but this kind of mass resignation in the middle of an administration is almost unheard of. And it’s not just junior staffers leaving—many who’ve quit are experienced attorneys who have served across multiple administrations, including Trump’s first term.
Peter Keisler, who once led the DOJ’s Civil Division under President George W. Bush, said no administration has ever pushed legal boundaries so fast and across so many areas. At the same time that Trump’s policies are triggering more lawsuits than ever, the number of lawyers available to defend them is shrinking.
The situation has gotten so serious that the Trump administration made a rare exception to its own federal hiring freeze, allowing the DOJ to bring in new staff despite broader government cost-cutting efforts.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi is under intense pressure from within Trump’s MAGA base, with some demanding her removal over how she handled sensitive files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The White House, for its part, isn’t backing down. A spokesperson defended Trump’s policies as fully legal and pointed to wins in district courts and the Supreme Court as proof. The spokesperson also took a shot at former officials who have criticized Trump, calling them self-righteous and hypocritical.
According to the DOJ, the lawyers who are still there are dealing with a historic number of lawsuits. A spokesperson said they’ve already won many of these cases and will continue to fight for Trump’s agenda, which they argue is about keeping Americans safe.
But with so many experienced lawyers leaving, it’s clear that the pressure and ethical concerns inside the Justice Department are at a boiling point.
