Justice Department Repeatedly Making Unforced Errors Under Trump
The Washington Times reported on April 12 that senior DOJ officials themselves attribute the department’s growing courtroom difficulties to three compounding factors: the sheer volume of litigation (particularly immigration cases), an unprecedented wave of adverse judicial rulings, and decimated staffing at U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the country. A senior official described the removal of experienced career prosecutors as a “rampage” that has left the department reliant on newer lawyers with primarily state court backgrounds unequipped for complex federal litigation. The piece illustrates how ideological purges of legal institutions — ostensibly carried out in the name of loyalty — can functionally degrade the rule of law from within, as the department most responsible for enforcing federal law becomes less capable of doing so