Why thousands of federal lawyers leaving government service matters for everyone in the justice system

More than 10,000 attorneys who worked for the US government have left their jobs during the second Trump administration; a former federal judge analyzes the impact of that exodus.

By: John E. Jones III, Dickinson College, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 23, 2026

Words: 1,298

Last Updated: 4 weeks, 1 day ago

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By John E. Jones III, Dickinson College

More than 10,000 lawyers, many of them from the U.S. Department of Justice, have left the federal government during the second Trump administration. “Their departures show how rapidly the president has eroded the image of the federal government as the gold standard for lawyers seeking public service roles,” writes The New York Times.

Politics and legal affairs editor Naomi Schalit spoke with John E. Jones III about the …

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