The U.S. Department of Justice has eliminated a policy requiring newly hired federal prosecutors to have at least one year of legal practice experience, as the agency faces ongoing hiring challenges as it seeks to recruit like-minded federal prosecutors.
According to the American Bar Association, the number of attorneys working at the Justice Department has declined from roughly 10,000 in 2024, but some see that as the department losing left-leaning attorneys not on board with the Trump administration’s priorities.
While updated figures have not been publicly released, about 5,500 employees — not all of whom are attorneys — have left the department through firings, resignations or retirements since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Mediaite reported.
The turnover has created opportunities for private law firms, political organizations and local prosecutors’ offices to recruit former DOJ attorneys, according to reporting by CBS News’ Scott MacFarlane.
Bloomberg Law reported that the outlet attained copies of a message sent out by the Justice Department with the subject line, “Suspension of Attorney One Year requirement.” The memo, as relayed by Bloomberg, declared, “This suspension is in effect until February 28, 2027, and was implemented due to an exigent hiring need for attorneys across the Department.”
In a statement to Bloomberg about the recent hiring initiative, an unnamed spokesperson from the DOJ emphasized the department’s commitment to supporting “young and passionate prosecutors.”
“Under the leadership of Attorney General Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Blanche, this Department of Justice is proud to empower young and passionate prosecutors and offer attorneys at every level the opportunity to invest their talents into keeping their communities safe, including from the predators the previous administration welcomed with open arms,” the statement noted.
William Treanor, the former dean of Georgetown University Law Center, told the American Bar Association that though “it has historically been the case that the Department of Justice is one of the most attractive places for our Georgetown graduating class,” that’s not presently the case.
“What we are seeing is a total drop in who is applying,” said Treanor, now a Georgetown Law Professor. “It’s very, very dramatic. It’s gone from a good amount of our graduating class to virtually no one applying for jobs at the Justice Department.”
Critics say that says more about the left-wing slant of the law school than anything else, given that the current DOJ is in the hands of an unapologetically Republican administration.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi has reportedly relocated to secure military housing near Washington, D.C., after receiving a series of death threats tied to drug cartels and backlash over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Sources familiar with the situation told The New York Times that Bondi moved from her Washington apartment to a protected military base within the past month due to heightened security concerns.
According to those reports, the threats intensified following the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and amid public criticism surrounding the Justice Department’s release of Epstein-related files.
Bondi is the latest senior administration official to move into secure housing at or near military facilities in the Washington, D.C., area after citing threats from criminals, foreign adversaries and protesters, The Times reported.
Other officials who have reportedly relocated to heavily protected quarters include Stephen Miller, the president’s top domestic policy adviser and a key architect of the administration’s immigration policies; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll has also moved into military housing, along with Navy Secretary John Phelan, whose Washington residence was damaged in a fire last year, The Times said.
Reports of Bondi moving to a military base come as the House Oversight Committee prepares to schedule testimonies from both her and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick regarding the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
