DOJ is doubling down on using the FACE Act to charge people who protested at a church in MN. The problem? The Constitution protects against infringement on religious worship by government, not private actors. Read more on DOJ’s flawed FACE Act use: justiceconnection.substack.com/p/prosecutin...

DOJ’s lawsuits against 5 more states to force turnover of voters’ private data are part of an alarming pressure campaign to "nationalize” elections. The promise of our voting rights laws was access to the ballot box, not centralized data grabs that fuel purges. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

Former DOJ prosecutor, Sam Trepel, lays out the danger of DOJ not investigating the violent tactics by federal agents across the country, not just in Minneapolis. DOJ is sending the message that federal agents are above the law. justiceconnection.substack.com/p/by-refusin...

Director Kash Patel just fired FBI agents who worked the Mar-a-Lago classified-documents case. Call it what it is: retaliation for investigating Trump. www.cbsnews.com/news/at-leas...

“Saying this was sloppy would give them too much credit. I don’t fault the line prosecutors who handled the redactions review. This was doomed for failure, because of bad management and leadership.” – Mimi Rocah, former SDNY AUSA. www.cnn.com/2026/02/26/p...

“If anybody out there believes that [Patel] was really in Italy for work reasons and not to knock back beers with USA hockey, then they have a severe gullibility problem.” – Mike Feinberg, former FBI Special Agent

A stark warning from former U.S. Attorneys and national security lawyers: Minnesota’s “Operation Metro Surge” blurred the bright line between civilian law enforcement and military force.  Congress must act to protect our constitutional guardrails. www.startribune.com/ice-enforcem...

When the FBI’s response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the Brown University shooting is delayed by the Director’s vacations on official aircraft, that’s not leadership. It’s treating the job like a perk and degrading mission readiness. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Firing hundreds of immigration judges and court staff jeopardizes due process, further clogs an overwhelmed system, and undermines public trust in the courts. www.npr.org/2026/02/23/g...

Former FBI Special Agent Mike Feinberg shares a Quantico rule for Justice Connection's Substack: “Don’t embarrass the Bureau.” When the FBI Director turns into an unserious spectacle, it costs agents something they can’t do their job without – respect. justiceconnection.substack.com/p/kash-patel...

Former DOJ staff just launched Red Line for Civil Rights — a new project tracking how this administration has hollowed out and politicized civil rights enforcement. This public accountability is essential when the administration has decimated the Civil Rights Division. redlinecivilrights.org

Federal rules shape nearly every part of our lives. Rebecca Bond led DOJ's Disability Rights Section and ensured DOJ listened to the public during the rulemaking process. In Justice Connection’s latest Substack, she explains why rulemaking matters. justiceconnection.substack.com/p/the-govern...

Director Patel's claim his trip to Italy is for work is ludicrous – no other FBI Director has attended an Olympic event. Arranging a visit with personnel or foreign law enforcement partners doesn't disguise what he's really there for. www.ms.now/news/kash-pa...

As our executive director, Stacey Young, told CBS, nonprofits and firms “are capitalizing on DOJ's idiotic decision to drive out many thousands of brilliant career employees.” www.cbsnews.com/news/mass-de...

A top aide on the cases against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, James Comey, and Don Lemon thinks DOJ’s chief client is the president. Let’s be clear: We serve the United States and the American people. We swear an oath to the Constitution, not a man. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Putting to rest any doubt that Donald Trump has hijacked an independent Department of Justice. Shameful.

Julius Nam was part of DOJ's Community Relations Service, the decades-old unit built to de-escalate civil rights conflicts—until DOJ shut it down. CRS was there after George Floyd’s murder. They should’ve been in Minnesota again after the fatal shootings last month. www.youtube.com/watch?v=afMo...

Justice Connection advisory committee member Rupa Bhattacharyya handled federal tort cases at DOJ. She told NPR Trump’s $230M demand “would be an order of magnitude greater than any administrative settlement the Department has ever agreed to” under the FTCA. www.npr.org/2026/02/18/n...

When DOJ leadership is unwilling to meaningfully fight corruption and may even be facilitating it, accountability work like the newly launched Public Integrity Project is essential. If you have cases to flag or want to support these DOJ alumni, reach out: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/o...

TONIGHT: FedSupport is hosting a virtual town hall for federal workers to break down what OPM’s new Schedule Policy/Career employment rule could mean for your job. Register here: fedsupport.org/event/fedsup...

Justice Connection’s Employment Support Network is expanding to connect DOJ employees with job opportunities with employers who are specifically seeking DOJ experience. Learn more: www.thejusticeconnection.org/justice-conn...

Demands for voter rolls. Voting Rights Act cases dropped. Personal voter data shared across agencies. In Justice Connection’s latest Substack, former DOJ voting rights attorney Elizabeth Ryan details how the department is abandoning voting protections: open.substack.com/pub/justicec...

The FBI is refusing to share evidence in the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. This admin is insisting on investigating itself behind closed doors. Cutting out MN investigators will further erode public trust in DOJ and these investigations. www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...

Upstanding AG's respond to Congressional oversight with facts, not ad hominem attacks. AG Bondi’s lack of decorum at today’s hearing demeans the office and further undermines trust in DOJ’s independence.

A timely reminder for the AG: The First Amendment protects against government interference with the free exercise of religion — it doesn't create a freestanding “right to worship at a particular place” enforceable against private actors. justiceconnection.substack.com/p/prosecutin...

The Department of Justice’s legal judgments must be impartial and insulated from political influence. By calling Donald Trump “the greatest president in American history,” AG Bondi made clear who’s really calling the shots at DOJ.

AG Bondi's description of DOJ’s core mission at her hearing included the “rule of law” and “keeping the country safe.” She neglected to mention protecting civil rights, DOJ’s third co-equal priority. You don’t promote equal justice by leaving civil rights off the agenda.

The rule of law only works if the government respects court orders.  Threatening to put DOJ attorneys in contempt should be a last resort, and the fact that Minnesota judges have had to do it repeatedly is alarming. www.cnn.com/2026/02/10/p...

As our executive director, Stacey Young, told NBC, the Weaponization Working Group is the “starkest example of this administration’s hypocrisy” as DOJ goes after the president’s political enemies “more than any administration in the department’s history.”  www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...

Jeremiah Johnson was one of more than 100 immigration judges fired under Trump. DOJ is now recruiting “deportation judges” to replace them. In this Substack, Johnson details how judges are told to prioritize removal numbers over due process. justiceconnection.substack.com/p/immigratio...

A motion signed only by a political appointee – with no career employee joining – is a good sign it's driven by politics. This is yet another example of DOJ's willingness to exercise its prosecutorial discretion in favor of the President's allies. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

The admin's "flood the zone" strategy makes it hard to keep up with attacks on DOJ & the rule of law. Malfeasance in MN. DOJ resignations. Chair Powell subpoenaed. FBI raids GA election office. That's why we built the DOJ Tracker. Catch up on January: justiceconnection.substack.com/p/doj-tracke...

In a new Substack post, former AUSA Andrew Tessman reflects on the recent departures from DOJ following the tragedies in MN, & what they reveal about the moral courage it takes to live up to the oath of office—even when it comes at great personal cost. justiceconnection.substack.com/p/honoring-c...

Federal workers deserve more civil service protection, not less. Schedule F was outrageous when proposed under Trump 1.0, and the now-final Schedule P/C is even worse. Thousands of DOJ employees can now be fired at will and they’ll lose the ability to blow the whistle on abuses at the department.

"This admin asked [prosecutors] to violate their legal and ethical responsibilities," our executive director told CBS News. "The loss of institutional knowledge and expertise will destabilize the USAO, leaving Minnesotans' safety and rights less protected.” www.cbsnews.com/news/minneso...

DOJ is crushing career staff under leadership’s chaos. Julie Le was pulled in to help carry an impossible load. Her pleas in federal court represent an entire DOJ stretched to the brink. If you are at DOJ and need mental health support, reach out. www.thejusticeconnection.org/mental-healt...

More than 300 former federal prosecutors and civil rights attorneys just sent DOJ a clear message: stop obstructing MN’s investigators in the Good and Pretti killings. What's happening is a dangerous break from DOJ norms and a threat to the rule of law. www.axios.com/2026/02/04/m...

Laura-Kate Bernstein spent years prosecuting FACE Act cases. She explains why the statutory provision DOJ used to charge Don Lemon raises serious legal questions. Career DOJ prosecutors understand the FACE Act’s limits. None joined this case. justiceconnection.substack.com/p/prosecutin...

The Weaponization Working Group is a smokescreen to go after Trump’s enemies. This DOJ leadership isn’t focused on enforcing the rule of law – it’s too busy enforcing the rule of Trump. www.cnn.com/2026/02/02/p...

Rebuilding an independent DOJ will take far longer than it took to tear it down. Career DOJ employees should have a seat at the table as we chart the path forward. Justice Connection is fighting for them and with them, but we need your support: www.thejusticeconnection.org/donate/

One year ago, Stacey Young founded Justice Connection because she knew DOJ employees were under attack. We’ve shown up for current and former DOJ employees – and shed light on this administration’s attacks on the department In year two, we're not slowing down.

Justice Connection has tracked 6,400+ DOJ staff who have resigned or been fired in the past year. Our executive director, Stacey Young, warns the loss of senior expertise at the department leaves offices rudderless, and leaves us all less safe. www.courier-journal.com/story/News/p...

Justice Connection member, Sam Trepel, led DOJ’s prosecution of Derek Chauvin after George Floyd’s murder. On 60 Minutes she warns: No thorough, transparent civil rights probes into the Good and Pretti killings sends a dangerous message that federal agents are above the law.

🧵 We launched Justice Connection one year ago because we knew DOJ employees would need support under this admin. Sadly, that need is greater than we imagined. Defending democracy means defending independent justice and the people who uphold it. justiceconnection.substack.com/p/justice-co...

Now do Renée Good. apnews.com/article/minn...

The Minneapolis USAO is in crisis. Instead of justice for Renee Good and Alex Pretti, DOJ is pushing prosecutors to go after the president's critics. That’s how you force out institutional expertise. And the damage done to public safety will last years. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

AG Bondi: “NOTHING will stop DOJ from enforcing the law.” Then enforce it: Open civil rights probes into the shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. DOJ’s involvement in Minnesota isn’t law enforcement. It’s loyalty enforcement.

The Trump Administration's aggressive immigration enforcement has led to an avalanche of habeas petitions, pulling prosecutors away from their mission-critical work. And even with the added support, the volume is so large it's almost impossible to keep up. www.cnn.com/2026/01/28/p...

NEW from former DOJ Civil Rights Division prosecutor Eric Peffley: “When the Justice Department brazenly tips the scales in favor of the federal government without any investigation, it erodes any semblance of legitimacy, and with it, the rule of law.” justiceconnection.substack.com/p/the-preven...

A far-right podcast story led to an FBI probe of First Amendment activity, but the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti can’t clear the bar for a civil rights investigation. This admin is more beholden to fringe online audiences than the American people. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...