Justice Department Files Federal Lawsuit Accusing D.C. Bar of Weaponizing Discipline Against Government Attorneys

The Justice Department escalated its fight with Washington’s attorney disciplinary system on Tuesday, filing a federal lawsuit that accuses D.C. Bar authorities of weaponizing the ethics process against government lawyers who served in Republican administrations.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, names D.C. Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton P. Fox III, the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, and the D.C. Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility as defendants. The DOJ is asking the court for both declaratory and injunctive relief.

At the center of the case is former Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark, who faced bar discipline over an internal, pre-decisional draft letter connected to potential 2020 election fraud issues. The letter was never sent. The DOJ argues that