Trump DOJ Pushes to Sideline State Bar Ethics Investigations (2) [View all]
Source: Bloomberg Law
US Law Week
Trump DOJ Pushes to Sideline State Bar Ethics Investigations (2)
March 4, 2026, 9:13 AM EST; Updated: March 4, 2026, 11:32 AM EST
Ben Penn
Senior Reporter
The Justice Department has proposed a regulation seeking to authorize Attorney General Pam Bondi to suspend state bar ethics investigations into current and former DOJ lawyers�a step outside attorneys quickly criticized as an illegal intervention into state-run processes.
The proposal, posted in the Federal Register Wednesday, would aim to halt state-level ethics proceedings against DOJ lawyers while the department conducts its own review, which would diminish local bar associations� power. It comes as Bondi and members of her leadership team have faced ethics complaints requesting the state where they�re barred probe their alleged misconduct in running DOJ.
The department unveiled the unexpected policy by saying the change is necessary in light of the "weaponization" of the bar complaint process.
If finalized after a public comment period, �whenever a third party files a bar complaint alleging that a current or former Department attorney violated an ethics rule while engaging in that attorney�s duties for the Department, or whenever bar disciplinary authorities open an investigation into such allegations,� the attorney general �will have the right to review the complaint and the allegations in the first instance,� the proposal states.
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Read more: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-doj-pushes-to-sideline-state-bar-ethics-investigations
It's in tomorrow's Federal Register.
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-04347
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https://bsky.app/profile/kenwhite.bsky.social
JUST IN: Trump DOJ proposes surprise rule aiming to let Attorney General Pam Bondi suspend state bar investigations into alleged misconduct by DOJ lawyers. Very unclear if there'd be legal authority for the AG to intervene in this manner.
— Ben Penn (@benjaminpenn.bsky.social) 2026-03-04T14:23:01.554Z
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
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Ben Penn
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JUST IN: Trump DOJ proposes surprise rule aiming to let Attorney General Pam Bondi suspend state bar investigations into alleged misconduct by DOJ lawyers. Very unclear if there'd be legal authority for the AG to intervene in this manner.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-doj-pushes-to-sideline-state-bar-ethics-investigations
Trump DOJ Pushes to Sideline State Bar Ethics Investigations
The Justice Department has proposed a regulation seeking to authorize Attorney General Pam Bondi's intervention to suspend state bar ethics investigations into current and former DOJ lawyers.
news.bloomberglaw.com
9:23 AM * Mar 4, 2026
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