DOJ Proposes AG Review of Ethics Complaints Against Lawyers

The U.S. Department of Justice proposed a new regulation on Wednesday that would allow Attorney General Pam Bondi to review ethics complaints against current and former department lawyers before state bar associations proceed with their own investigations. The measure, published in the Federal Register, aims to prevent what the department describes as the political weaponization of state disciplinary processes and comes amid a series of complaints targeting Trump administration officials.

Under the proposal, when a third party files a bar complaint alleging that a DOJ attorney violated ethics rules while performing official duties, or when a state bar opens an investigation into such claims, the attorney general or a designated official would first examine the allegations. The DOJ would then notify the state bar and the lawyer involved, requesting a pause in any parallel proceedings until the review concludes. If the department determines no violation occurred, the state bar would be barred from pursuing the matter. The rule includes a provision for the DOJ to take "appropriate action" if a state bar refuses to comply, though specifics on enforcement remain unclear.