Legal Ethics
50 Articles
Politically Motivated Prosecutions Part II: Refuse, Report, Resign
In Part II of this series, Kristy Parker and Erica Newland explain how DOJ's career prosecutors should respond when they become aware of, or are asked to participate in, politically…
Politically-Motivated Prosecutions Part I: Legal Obligations and Ethical Duties of Prosecutors
AG Barr is poised to weaponize criminal prosecutions. In part one of a two-part series, former DOJ attorneys Kristy Parker and Erica Newland explain how politically motivated prosecutions…
Why 27 Distinguished DC Lawyers Filed a Complaint with Bar Association Against Attorney General Barr
Non-partisan group files an ethics complaint with the DC Bar Association against Attorney General William Barr. The former Attorney General of Massachusetts describes the initiative…
Barr Ignores Settled Justice Department Policies in Run-Up to 2020 Elections
Apparently seeking to support false claims about the Russia investigation and the president's reelection bid, the attorney general flouts long-settled DOJ policy.
Law Day and the Need for Virtue in Government Lawyering
"This Law Day demands that we also pay attention to a very different set of actions by lawyers within the Trump period."
A “Twitter Chat” About COVID-19: Ethical Dilemmas in a Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic is highlighting ethical issues for everyday citizens and healthcare workers. The public health has become more important than ever. Information is changing,…
Sen. Van Hollen Calls for Paoletta to Relinquish Role as OMB’s Top Ethics Official
Mark Paoletta, the general counsel at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), needs to recuse himself from ongoing inquiries into the Trump administration’s withholding of…
Impeachment Trial and Legal Ethics: Cipollone Should Be a Witness, Not a Trump Lawyer
Top legal ethics expert, Stephen Gillers, raises an issue hiding in plain site.
Four Fundamental Flaws in President Trump’s Impeachment Trial Memo
Leading impeachment law scholar pens a scathing critique of President Trump’s Trial Memo sent to senators on Monday.
All the President’s Lawyers: A Chart of Misconduct and Possible Crimes Revealed by Mueller Report
A nine-page Chart closely tracks the Mueller Report’s references to potential wrongdoing by President Trump’s personal lawyers.
Mueller Report and the President’s Personal Lawyers: Did They Violate Criminal Law and Ethical Rules?
Leading legal ethics professor analyzes the criminal law and ethical rules that would apply in light of conduct of Trumps personal lawyers revealed in the Mueller Report.
What’s Noticeably Missing from the Whitaker Nonrecusal Explanation
The Department of Justice issued a letter yesterday explaining why Matthew Whitaker has decided he won’t recuse from superintending the Russia Investigation overseen by Special…