Federal judges have increasingly accused Justice Department lawyers of dishonesty in court, marking a notable erosion of the longstanding “presumption of regularity” that allowed government attorneys to be taken at their word. In a series of pointed rulings in spring 2026, judges in Rhode Island, Chicago, Tennessee, and elsewhere called out department lawyers for withholding information, redacting grand jury transcripts to conceal misconduct, and making claims contradicted by the facts—often in cases defending key parts of the Trump administration’s agenda, particularly immigration and an investigation into transgender patients’ health records. The Justice Department has defended its attorneys’ integrity and dismissed critics as “rogue” or “activist” judges, while legal observers warn that mounting workloads, a politicized culture, and difficult agency clients like the Department of Homeland Security are demoralizing career lawyers and could make it harder for the department to function as judicial trust deteriorates.

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