President Trump terrifies immigrant communities under the guise of cracking down on drug trafficking while pardoning actual traffickers and dismantling DOJ’s most effective team fighting organized crime.

On career DOJ attorneys: “The problem is not that DOJ lawyers are not complying with their ethical and legal requirements. The problem is they’re being ordered to,” our exec director told @contrariannews.org

Joe Gerbasi spent decades at DOJ fighting global narcotics trafficking. In this Substack post, he highlights the dangerous consequences of cutting off dialogues and pulling back personnel who work directly with partners in China, Mexico, and South America. open.substack.com/pub/justicec...

DOJ is supposed to enforce the law as it is written, but time and again this DOJ's leadership seeks to dictate what it thinks the law should be. The decision to not follow the law has consequences, as we’ve seen with this ruling today.

About 5,000 employees have left DOJ since January. We collected some of their farewell messages. As our spokesperson @petercarr10.bsky.social told CBS, they “show what is happening in our country at this moment.”

DOJ is supposed to protect people from illegal discrimination in the workplace, not perpetrate it. Daniel showed a lot of courage coming forward and standing up not just for himself but for every employee at the FBI.

DOJ has fired scores of qualified immigration judges, only to replace them with military lawyers with no experience in immigration law. This raises serious legal issues, but also threatens judicial independence and due process for those navigating the immigration system.

DOJ has refused to protect line attorneys from congressional inquiries, exposing them to significant legal risk. The Supreme Court has repeatedly acknowledged that one of the basic functions of the Fifth Amendment is to protect the innocent. thehill.com/homenews/hou...

Fmr DOJ spokesman @petercarr10.bsky.social shares in our Substack that our safety, prosperity, and rights depend on an institution that is under attack. We once fought for these ideals within DOJ, but for many of us, the best way to fight for DOJ is on the outside.

Fmr DOJ officials on lethal boat strikes: 1) the intelligence isn't always accurate, and 2) the US is no longer questioning human sources on the boats. The strikes are eliminating valuable human intelligence to target cartel leadership.

Lindsey Halligan successfully indicted Comey after multiple career prosecutors told her there was not enough evidence. The judge's ruling demonstrates the perils of this administration disregarding the expertise and experience of career employees.

Those quoted by name here are part of our alumni network, including two from our staff. We took an oath to defend the Constitution, and part of that oath is standing up for an institution under attack. Join us in fighting for justice - before it's too late.

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The Justice Department is hemorrhaging experienced attorneys and struggling to find replacements. As we told @washingtonpost.com, around 5,500 people (not all lawyers) have left or been fired by the administration.

Federal judges who block admin actions that exceed its statutory and constitutional authority are exercising their proper role. The admin can appeal if they think the judge got it wrong. But, political threats of impeachment undermine our entire constitutional system.

“You don’t represent the president…you represent the cause of justice. And that is a privilege.” A powerful reminder from former U.S. Attorney Tim Heaphy this week. Read his full remarks from the Assistant U.S. Attorneys Association for D.C. annual gala:

"Make no mistake: whistleblowing is not only a moral imperative, it's a legal one too." Aaron Zelinsky—prosecutor who blew the whistle in Roger Stone case under Trump 1.0—shares in our latest Substack why DOJ employees have a duty to expose wrongdoing, and how to do it safely and legally.

For 43 yrs, OCDETF has been America's most effective tool against drug cartels—prosecuting El Chapo, dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel, and taking down thousands of criminal enterprises. Today, it's being recklessly shut down without a real replacement: open.substack.com/pub/justicec...

Politicizing FBI is dangerous. The admin is creating an environment where agents are wary of pursuing cases for fear of losing their jobs. To protect the rule of law, we must allow law enforcement to investigate based on the facts & law, not political favor.

President Trump is demanding DOJ pay him $230M in taxpayer-funded restitution. Rupa Bhattacharyya, who spent years as the head of a major torts office at DOJ, explains in our Substack why doing nothing is the department's best and only option:

Tomorrow the last employees of DOJ's OCDETF program—one of America's most effective organizations in combating drug cartels—will be terminated. Former Deputy Director Thomas Padden warns OCDETF's closure leaves the country more vulnerable to organized crime.

In just the last few weeks, the U.S. Attorney’s Office known for its counterterrorism & espionage cases has lost half its natl security team. Prosecutors are being pushed out as part of Trump's vendetta against his so-called "political enemies."

Investigations rely on analysts and support staff as much as agents. To pay some and not others will only lower morale and slow investigations.

An important read from @newyorker.com on how the immigration courts are being remade into a “rubber stamp” for deportation.

Former federal prosecutor Mike Romano questions why DOJ has yet to charge Christopher Moynihan, a pardoned Capitol rioter, for allegedly threatening to kill Rep. Jeffries, which is a federal crime. Watch full interview: open.substack.com/pub/justicec...

WATCH: In our first Substack live, Justice Connection Executive Director Stacey Young speaks with Mike Romano, a fmr deputy chief of the Jan 6 prosecution team, about the pardoned Capitol rioter charged with threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Spoke to two of Jack Smith's top deputies about the launch of their new firm this week. Read: www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...

Mike Romano, an 18-yr DOJ veteran prosecutor, explains in our Substack how under Trump's DOJ, there's no room for a prosecutor to exercise good judgment. They're using the machinery of criminal prosecution to punish political foes, whether or not they're guilty.

Another Friday & more fed. prosecutors were fired for doing their jobs: evaluating whether there is a crime, and finding none, declining to bring charges.

The Administration’s senseless, malicious rampage against federal prosecutors for simply upholding their constitutional oath is destroying the Justice Department and torpedoing the careers of good men and women who have devoted their lives to protecting our country. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/u...

DOJ career attorneys aren't the "Deep State" or "compliant minions." They're bound by ethics & law. Fmr Civil Division leaders joined our Substack to challenge this misconception & explain why denigrating DOJ public servants undermines the department & rule of law.

Jack Smith & thousands of other DOJ alumni are calling on all Americans to join us in speaking up for justice. We'll never stop fighting for those who served our country & for our Constitution & our democracy. Sign up to join: bit.ly/4ojXpzt

Today, we released a letter signed by nearly 300 former DOJ employees who were recently pushed out. Together, we sound the alarm about the degradation of DOJ and warn that democracy can’t survive without the primary institution that enforces the law: bit.ly/48AnzcT

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-DoJ officials say Trump is destroying the department. Most sweeping accusations against a president since Nixon www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/e...

To the thousands of DOJ employees navigating the end of the Deferred Resignation Program period, our partners at the @ourpublicservice.bsky.social compiled this helpful free guide.

The administration is threatening to use the shutdown as an excuse for more layoffs throughout the fed government after pushing out over 5,000 DOJ employees since January. To all of our former colleagues worried about what's next, we’re here to help: www.thejusticeconnection.org/resources/

Today marks the last day of service for approximately 4,500 DOJ employees who were pushed out as part of the Deferred Resignation Program. This unprecedented loss of talent comes as hundreds more have been terminated or resigned, & DOJ threatens further layoffs during a potential shutdown.

We’re honored that Jack Smith highlighted Justice Connection’s work in his first public remarks since leaving the department. If you’ve ever worked at DOJ, email us to join the thousands of alumni mobilizing to protect our former colleagues & the rule of law: [email protected].

"The citizen’s safety lies in the prosecutor who tempers zeal with human kindness, who seeks truth and not victims, who serves the law and not factional purposes, and who approaches his task with humility.” Essential reminder from the great AG Jackson: www.justice.gov/sites/defaul...

“While the prosecutor at his best is one of the most beneficent forces in our society, when he acts from malice or other base motives, he is one of the worst." “The Federal Prosecutor” - Attorney General Robert H. Jackson (1940)

AG Bondi sent a memo on Day 1 making it clear DOJ lawyers were the president's lawyers. In the last week, “we’re now seeing how that's playing out & how dangerous it is,” we told @npr.org as Trump escalates threats.

We need an FBI Director who has the experience to lead & the trust of his workforce. Kash Patel has neither. We urge Senators to push for a qualified leader at tomorrow's Judiciary Committee hearing. Our full statement: bit.ly/3ViWtiw

A duty to serve is what motivates DOJ lawyers. It's not surprising that fired employees are seeking new public service roles in state & local govt, as @npr.org reports. If you're looking to continue your public service career, please email us. We're here to help.

Dr. Alix McLearen, clinical psychologist & DOJ alum, discusses how the administration is intentionally putting DOJ employees in trauma & how the Justice Connection Mental Health Support Network provides a safe place.

DOJ & FBI counterterrorism & intelligence experts have helped prevent another 9/11. In just 7 months, the admin has forced out so many. Congress can’t just say “never forget.” They must investigate these reckless, illegal purges to keep our nation secure.

The admin fired dozens of immigration judges and is replacing them with temporary, unqualified military attorneys while eliminating training requirements. Former judges joined us to explain why this undermines the immigration court system: bit.ly/3JXT322

Maybe they shouldn’t have pushed out 100+ qualified immigration judges without reason.

The rule of law can’t survive in any meaningful way if DOJ is weaponized against the president’s enemies by the president himself.