Legal AF by MeidasTouch Trump DOJ Makes Urgent Move Before Losing All Licenses
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Mar 6, 2026 A deep dive into a proposed DOJ rule that could let the department preempt state bar investigations. Tension over law licenses for Trump-era lawyers and why Florida regulators are probing a former DOJ prosecutor. Discussion of internal DOJ power struggles and how political moves might shield attorneys from state discipline.
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DOJ Rule Lets It Preempt State Bar Investigations
- The DOJ proposed a rule letting its Office of Ethics review and pause state bar investigations into current or former DOJ lawyers first.
- Michael Popok warns this creates an ethical conflict by having the department investigate its own attorneys, potentially sidelining state regulators indefinitely.
Lindsey Halligan Faces Florida Bar After Judicial Rebuke
- Lindsey Halligan, a briefly serving Eastern District of Virginia prosecutor, drew judicial criticism and is now the subject of a Florida Bar investigation.
- Popok recounts judges accusing her of impersonating a U.S. attorney after she continued to hold herself out post-termination.
Past Sanctions Fuel DOJ Lawyers' License Fears
- Many former private attorneys who defended Trump were later sanctioned, disbarred, or indicted, raising fear among DOJ lawyers about future discipline.
- Popok lists Ken Chesebro, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, and Alina Habba as examples of consequences faced by prior lawyers.