Trump's second term presents unique opportunities for lawyers to debase themselves, or, in some cases, to demonstrate their principles.
Government officials
Active lawyers
Brett Shumate
Brett Shumate is the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division. He is a political appointee.
He argued for Trump in Washington v Trump. The judge, a Reagan appointee, had this to say about him: "Frankly I have difficulty understanding how a member of the Bar could state unequivocally that this is a constitutional order."
Drew C. Ensign
Drew Ensign is the Deputy Assistant Attorney General, a political appointee.
In the Abrego Garcia case, he told Judge Xinis that he had no information about what had been done to comply with her order, 8 days after the order had been entered.
Fired lawyers
Erez Reuveni
Erez Reuveni (15 years at DOJ) represented the US government in Abrego Garcia v Noem.
On April 5, 2025 the New York Times reported that he was put on leave for failing to "follow a directive from [his] superiors".
On April 15, 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported that he had since been fired.
Resigned lawyers
Danielle Sassoon
Danielle Sassoon (8 years at DOJ), co-chief of Criminal Appeals for SDNY, resigned rather than go along with the government's scheme in US v Adams.
Denise Cheung
Denise Cheung (24 years at DOJ) was the head of the criminal division in the DC office. Politico reports that she resigned rather than go along with an administration scheme to open a criminal investigation into recipients of a Biden-era climate change fund.
Hagan Scotten
Hagen Scotten (10 years at DOJ), Chief of Appeals for SDNY, resigned rather than go along with the government's scheme in US v. Adams.
Jenn Clarke
Jenn Clarke (9 years at DOJ), Deputy Chief in the Public Integrity Section, resigned rather than go along with the government's scheme in US v Adams.
John Keller
John Keller (14 years at DOJ), acting Chief of the Public Integrity Section, resigned rather than go along with the government's scheme in US v Adams.
Kevin Driscoll
Kevin Driscoll resigned rather than go along with the government's scheme in US v Adams.
Marco Palmieri
Marco Palmieri (12 years at DOJ), Deputy Chief in the Criminal Division, resigned rather than go along with the government's scheme in US v Adams.
Olivia Horton
Olivia Horton (6 months at DOJ) represented the US government in Doe v OPM.
Per a court filing in that case, she resigned from the Department of Justice on March 7, 2025.
Per an April 6, 2025 court filing in the Abrego Garcia case, she appears to now be working for Quinn Emanuel.
Rob Heberle
Rob Heberle (13 years at DOJ), Director in the Public Integrity Section, resigned rather than go along with the government's scheme in US v Adams.
Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy (6 years at DOJ) was an AUSA.
Per an NPR report, he resigned in protest of the direction the DOJ was going.
Suspended lawyers
August Flentje
August Flentje, Deputy Director of Immigration Litigation (26 years at DOJ) supervised Erez Reuveni.
ABC News reported that he was suspended for "failure to supervise a subordinate".
Other officials
Robert L Cerna
Robert Cerna is a career official for ICE.
In the JGG v Trump case, he filed a declaration stating that absence of evidence is evidence of terrorist risk:
Declaration of Robert L CernaThe lack of a criminal record does not indicate they pose a limited threat. [...] It demonstrates that they are terrorists with regard to whom we lack a complete profile.
Michael G Kozak
Michael Kozak is a 79-year-old career employee of the State Department. He was trotted out to file a declaration in the Abrego Garcia case.
The declaration answered only one of the three questions the judge had ordered the government to answer.
Private lawyers
Rachel Cohen
Rachel Cohen was an associate at Skadden Arps who resigned on 2025-03-21 after they capitulated to Trump.
Siunik Moradian
Siunik Moradian was an associate at Simpson Thacher who resigned on 2025-04-11 after they capitulated to Trump.
Thomas F. Sipp
Thomas F. Sipp was an associate at Skaden Arps who resigned in March 2025 after the firm capitulated to Trump.