The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday targeting the District of Columbia Bar’s disciplinary actions against former Trump administration lawyers. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and senior official Stanley E. Woodward Jr. argue the bar has become a partisan instrument and should be barred from probing executive‑branch deliberations. The suit centers on attempts to disbar former White House counsel Jeffrey Clark.

Clark faces a disbarment petition over his 2020 effort to promote baseless claims of election fraud, despite lacking any formal investigative role. The department also defends Ed Martin, a senior DOJ official charged two months earlier for alleged retaliation against Georgetown Law. Officials cite the Supreme Court’s 2024 immunity ruling, suggesting that attorneys acting for the president should share that protection.

Critics warn the lawsuit could erode professional accountability and set a precedent that shields government lawyers from ethics oversight. Bar associations nationwide have already voiced concern that politicizing discipline undermines public confidence in the legal system. The case now adds another front to the administration’s broader battle to curtail state‑level disciplinary mechanisms. Law firms monitoring the dispute say it may influence future litigation funding strategies.