Pamela Bondi
Pamela Bondi served as U.S. Attorney General from January through mid-2025, having been confirmed by the Senate shortly after inauguration. She previously served as Florida's Attorney General from 2011 to 2019 and was a prominent Trump supporter and surrogate. She departed the position in 2025, after which Todd Blanche assumed the acting role.
Also known as Pam Bondi · Pamela Jo Bondi
2026 Events (16)
U.S. Department of Justice moved to deploy federal election monitors to Democratic strongholds in Michigan, California, and New Jersey
On July 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed it would send federal election monitors to polling places in Detroit, Lansing, and East Lansing -- three Democratic strongholds -- for Michigan's August 4 primary, and to counties in California and New Jersey for the November 4 elections. The deployments, requested by Republican officials and premised on unsupported claims about the 2024 election, followed late-June letters from the DOJ Voting Section citing alleged irregularities. Michigan officials condemned the move as election interference based on baseless allegations.
DOJ sued New York to block state law requiring ICE agents to unmask and display identification
On June 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against New York State, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Attorney General Letitia James, seeking to block a New York law requiring federal law enforcement officers, including ICE agents, to unmask during operations and display individual identifying information. The law, scheduled to take effect June 26, also bars 287(g) cooperative agreements in jurisdictions that maintain mask bans. DOJ argues the law violates the Supremacy Clause and poses officer safety risks; Hochul and James filed a countersuit the same day seeking to preserve the law.
DOJ issued grand jury subpoenas compelling Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reporters to testify about sources
On June 23, 2026, the Justice Department issued grand jury subpoenas ordering reporters at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal to testify about their confidential sources, then withdrew the subpoenas after they became public. The Associated Press confirmed the issuance and withdrawal via sources familiar with the matter. The subpoenas targeted newsgathering activity, not disclosures of classified information, making them a direct threat to press-source confidentiality at two of the country's largest newspapers.
DOJ announces forthcoming rule to narrow federal habeas review of state capital convictions under Chapter 154
On April 24, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice announced — in a same-day press release from the Office of Public Affairs paired with the Office of Legal Policy report "Restoring and Strengthening the Federal Death Penalty" — that it planned to publish a proposed rule that would "empower states to streamline federal habeas review of capital cases" under Chapter 154 of Title 28, with DOJ saying the rule "will reduce by years the period between conviction and execution in state capital cases." Federal habeas review of state convictions has been the principal vehicle for federal-court oversight of state capital cases since 1867; an administrative rule that materially narrows that review would curtail a long-standing federal check on state criminal-justice systems without legislative action.
Ex-Attorney General Pam Bondi defies bipartisan House subpoena, skipping Epstein-files deposition
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi failed to appear on April 14, 2026 for her subpoenaed closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee in its Jeffrey Epstein files investigation. The Justice Department had announced on April 8 that she would not appear, asserting the subpoena — issued after a bipartisan committee vote and naming "the Honorable Pamela Jo Bondi" personally — lapsed when President Trump removed her as Attorney General on April 2. Oversight Democrats introduced a civil-contempt resolution in response.
DOJ agrees to pay Trump ally Michael Flynn $1.25M to settle malicious-prosecution suit
On March 25, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department agreed to pay $1.25 million to retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President Trump's former national security adviser, to settle his lawsuit alleging malicious prosecution over his 2017 criminal case. Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and was later pardoned by Trump; he originally sued for $50 million in 2023 and revived the case after Trump returned to office. The settlement was reached under DOJ leadership Flynn publicly thanked by name.
DOJ proposes rule letting the Attorney General halt state bar discipline of its attorneys
On March 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice published a proposed rule (RIN 1105-AB82; 28 CFR Part 77) granting the Attorney General authority to review any state, territorial, or D.C. bar disciplinary complaint against a current or former DOJ attorney for conduct in their federal duties, and to demand that the bar suspend its investigation pending that review. The rule states that if a bar refuses, "the Department shall take appropriate action to prevent the bar disciplinary authorities from interfering." It followed bar inquiries into DOJ lawyers such as Lindsey Halligan, whose prosecutions of James Comey and Letitia James were dismissed after a judge found her appointment unlawful.
DOJ charges 30 more over anti-ICE Minnesota church protest, bringing total to 39 defendants
On February 27, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed a superseding indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota charging 30 additional people — bringing the total to 39 — over the January 18 anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul. All 39 are charged under place-of-worship civil-rights statutes, including the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, with conspiring to interfere with and interfering with the free exercise of religion; the defendants include independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, who say they were covering the protest as reporters. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that 25 of the 30 newly charged had been arrested, even though a magistrate judge had earlier found no probable cause to arrest several defendants, including the journalists.
DOJ sues five more states for full voter rolls, bringing nationwide campaign to 29 states
On February 26, 2026, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced federal lawsuits against Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, and New Jersey for failing to produce their full statewide voter registration lists, bringing the Department's nationwide total to 29 states and the District of Columbia. DOJ asserted authority under the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to compel production, inspection, and analysis of complete voter rolls — data that can include names, addresses, dates of birth, and partial Social Security or driver's license numbers — to cross-check for "improper registrations." The filings came after federal courts had dismissed several earlier DOJ voter-roll suits.
DOJ logged members of Congress's search histories as they reviewed unredacted Epstein files
It emerged that the Department of Justice had logged and tracked the searches members of Congress ran while reviewing unredacted Epstein files on DOJ systems, and a printout titled "Jayapal Pramila Search History" was photographed in Attorney General Pam Bondi's materials at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. Rep. Pramila Jayapal confirmed the listed searches were hers; the DOJ said it "logs all searches made on its systems," framing the practice as protecting victim information. Speaker Mike Johnson called the tracking not "appropriate," and Democratic lawmakers demanded the department end what they described as surveillance of the legislative branch.
Attorney General Bondi told the House Judiciary Committee under oath that Maxwell was not moved to a lower-security prison
On February 11, 2026, Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Judiciary Committee and, asked by Rep. Deborah Ross whether Ghislaine Maxwell had received special treatment in prison, answered that she did not know Maxwell was being transferred and that Maxwell "was not transferred to a lower-level facility," later repeating twice that it was a "same level" prison. The Bureau of Prisons, which falls under Bondi's department, classifies FCI Tallahassee — where Maxwell had been held — as low security and FPC Bryan, where the Justice Department moved her in August 2025 after she met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, as a minimum-security prison camp.
AG Bondi posted sealed booking photos of 16 Minnesota defendants in violation of a court sealing order
On January 28, 2026, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X the names and booking photos of 16 people arrested in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area on federal charges of assaulting or impeding immigration officers, describing them as "rioters," while their cases remained under a federal court sealing order. Magistrate Judge Dulce Foster later found in one of the cases that Bondi's post "directly violated a court order sealing the case" and "thumbed its nose at the notion that defendants are innocent until proven guilty."
AG Bondi demanded Minnesota turn over voter rolls, Medicaid/SNAP data, end sanctuary policies amid deadly ICE crackdown
On January 24, 2026, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi sent Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz a letter demanding the state hand over its voter rolls, Medicaid and SNAP recipient data, and repeal its "sanctuary" policies, framing compliance as a path to end the federal immigration surge in the Twin Cities. The letter came hours after Border Patrol agents fatally shot U.S. citizen Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon rejected the demand as "an outrageous attempt to coerce Minnesota," and Gov. Walz called the voter-roll request unrelated to any legitimate concern.
DOJ opens criminal investigation into Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey over their anti-ICE statements
On January 16, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over an alleged conspiracy to impede federal immigration agents during Operation Metro Surge, the roughly 3,000-agent ICE and Border Patrol deployment to the Twin Cities. Sources told CBS News the inquiry rests on 18 U.S.C. Section 372 and stems from the officials' public criticism of the operation, which had intensified after an ICE agent killed Minnesota resident Renee Good on January 7. Subpoenas to Walz, Frey, Attorney General Keith Ellison, the St. Paul mayor's office, and two counties followed the next week.
FBI searched Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Alexandria, Virginia home, seized her devices in Pentagon leak probe
On January 14, 2026, FBI agents executed a search warrant at the Alexandria, Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson and seized her phone, two laptops, a recorder, a portable hard drive, and a Garmin watch, as part of a Pentagon-referred Justice Department leak investigation into a government contractor accused of taking home classified reports. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the search was conducted at the Defense Department's request; Natanson and the Post were not targets of the underlying probe, but the seizure cut off her access to more than 1,000 confidential sources and her ongoing reporting on the administration's downsizing of the federal workforce.
DOJ sued Arizona and Connecticut to compel release of unredacted, sensitive voter roll data
On January 6, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division sued Arizona and Connecticut in federal court, seeking to compel both states to produce their complete, unredacted voter registration lists, including voters' full birthdates and full or partial Social Security and driver's-license numbers. The suits brought DOJ's nationwide campaign to 23 states and the District of Columbia; Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes had already rejected three DOJ requests for the data and told a department attorney to "pound sand." Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the lawsuits were needed to enforce federal election-integrity law.
2025 Events (39)
DOJ sued Colorado to compel release of unredacted, sensitive voter roll data
On December 11, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division sued Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, seeking to compel production of the state's complete, unredacted voter registration database, including voters' full names, dates of birth, and driver's-license or Social Security number fragments. The suit, filed under the Civil Rights Act of 1960, followed Griswold's May and December 2025 refusals to share the unredacted data and a November 2025 letter, which she led with nine other secretaries of state, asking DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security to clarify how the collected data would be used and shared.
AG Bondi ordered FBI to compile list of Americans by political viewpoint
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a Justice Department memo ordering the FBI to compile a list of Americans and groups engaged in acts constituting "domestic terrorism." The memo targeted individuals expressing opposition to immigration enforcement, support for mass migration and open borders, and adherence to radical gender ideology. Bondi directed the FBI to establish a cash reward system for informants and retroactively investigate conduct from the past five years.
AG Bondi directed FBI to target Americans expressing opposition to immigration enforcement, LGBTQ+ rights, anti-capitalism
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a Justice Department memo on December 4, 2025 directing the FBI to identify and investigate Americans engaging in "domestic terrorism," a term redefined to encompass lawful political speech: opposition to immigration enforcement, support for mass migration, gender identity ideology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christian sentiment. The memo establishes cash rewards for informants, enhanced tipline capabilities, and retroactive investigation of conduct from the prior five years, creating infrastructure for mass surveillance and selective prosecution based on political viewpoint.
DOJ sued California to block state laws requiring federal agents to visibly identify themselves and barring masks
On November 17, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice sued California, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Attorney General Rob Bonta over two state laws enacted that September: the No Vigilantes Act, which requires federal law enforcement officers to visibly display identification, and the No Secret Police Act, which bars them from wearing face masks while on duty. DOJ argued both laws unconstitutionally regulate the federal government under the Supremacy Clause and endanger officers by exposing them to doxxing and violence. A Ninth Circuit panel later enjoined enforcement of the identification requirement pending DOJ's appeal.
Lawsuit revealed DOJ conditioned FY2025 COPS policing grants on anti-DEI and immigration-cooperation certifications
On October 28, 2025, the City and County of San Francisco, Santa Clara County, and the City of Tucson sued the U.S. Department of Justice and Attorney General Pamela Bondi in federal court, revealing that DOJ's fiscal year 2025 COPS community-policing grants barred funds for any program that "advances diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility" and required grantees to certify compliance with all current and future presidential executive orders and with federal immigration-enforcement cooperation. Chicago and St. Paul filed a parallel lawsuit in Illinois on November 12, 2025 over the same conditions attached to their own COPS awards. Both suits argued the conditions exceeded DOJ's statutory authority and violated the Spending Clause and separation of powers.
Attorney General Bondi deployed federal election monitors to polling sites in New Jersey and California following GOP requests
On October 24, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced that the Department of Justice would deploy federal election monitors to polling sites in Passaic County, New Jersey, and five California counties (Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside, and Fresno), following requests from Republican state officials. The monitors, described as election observers, were positioned at polling locations to oversee election administration.
Trump demanded DOJ pay him $230 million in compensation for federal investigations; claim routed to his former defense attorney
On October 22, 2025, President Donald Trump formally demanded that the Department of Justice pay him approximately $230 million through an administrative claims process, citing federal investigations including the Russia probe and the classified documents case. The claim required approval from DOJ officials, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal defense attorney in the classified documents prosecution. Representatives Jamie Raskin and Robert Garcia announced an investigation into the demand over self-dealing concerns.
DOJ brings first terrorism charges under Trump's Antifa designation; two indicted for July 4 attack on Fort Worth ICE facility
The Justice Department unsealed its first federal terrorism indictment on October 16, 2025, under President Trump's executive order designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, charging Zachary Evetts and Cameron Arnold with providing material support for terrorism and attempting to murder federal law enforcement officers. Prosecutors alleged the two belonged to an "Antifa cell" that orchestrated a July 4, 2025, attack on an ICE detention facility near Fort Worth, Texas. Attorney General Pam Bondi declared, "Antifa is a left-wing terrorist organization. They will be prosecuted as such," while FBI Director Kash Patel announced over 20 arrests tied to the case and "related Antifa networks."
DOJ indicts former national security adviser Bolton on 18 classified-document counts; third Trump adversary charged in a month
A federal grand jury in Maryland indicted former National Security Adviser John Bolton on October 16, 2025, on 18 counts of mishandling classified national defense information — eight counts of transmitting and ten counts of unlawfully retaining material emailed via personal accounts without security clearances. Bolton became the third prominent Trump critic charged within roughly three weeks, following former FBI Director James Comey (September 25) and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The Biden-era Justice Department had previously reviewed the same conduct and declined to bring charges.
DOJ pressured Meta into removing 80,000-member Chicago ICE-sightings Facebook group; court later found it unconstitutional coercion
On October 14, 2025, Meta removed "ICE Sighting-Chicagoland," an approximately 80,000-member Facebook group where users reported ICE agent sightings, hours after Attorney General Pamela Bondi publicly credited "outreach from the DOJ" for the takedown and said the department would keep pressing tech companies on similar groups. On April 18, 2026, a federal judge found the administration had "demanded, rather than requested" that Facebook and Apple censor this category of speech, granting a preliminary injunction against the practice as a likely First Amendment violation.
FBI Director Patel fired three career agents who worked on Jack Smith's 2020-election investigation, citing no cause
Between October 7 and November 4, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel fired three career FBI agents — Michelle Ball, Jamie Garman, and Blaire Toleman, each with eight to fourteen years of service — who had previously been assigned to support Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Their termination letters accused them of "weaponizing" their positions but cited no specific misconduct finding and gave them no opportunity to respond. The firings were part of a broader purge of FBI personnel perceived as having worked against Trump's interests.
DOJ pressured Apple to remove ICE-accountability archive app Eyes Up from the App Store
On October 3, 2025, Apple removed Eyes Up — an app built by Indiana resident Mark Hodges through the Kreisau Group that archived publicly posted videos and news reports documenting ICE enforcement activity — from the App Store, one day after Apple pulled ICEBlock under U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's public takedown demand. Apple had reviewed and approved Eyes Up in August 2025 without objection and gave no legal basis for the removal beyond contact from law enforcement. Hodges said the administration was "embarrassed by how many incriminating videos we have."
Attorney General Bondi demanded Apple remove ICE-tracking app ICEBlock; Apple complied same day
On October 2, 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly demanded that Apple remove ICEBlock, a free app that let users anonymously report ICE agent sightings within roughly a five-mile radius, from the App Store, and Apple complied the same day. Apple had previously approved the app and, in response to inquiries, cited safety concerns relayed by law enforcement rather than identifying any legal violation. Developer Joshua Aaron later sued the Trump administration, alleging the DOJ's demand constituted unconstitutional government coercion.
Trump signs NSPM-7 directing DOJ and FBI to investigate political beliefs as domestic terrorism indicators
On September 25, 2025, President Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), directing the Department of Justice, FBI, and Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate and disrupt individuals based on political speech and ideology—designating "anti-Christian," "anti-American," and "anti-capitalist" beliefs as domestic terrorism indicators. The directive authorized pre-crime investigation of citizens before any violent act occurs and directed the IRS and Treasury to trace funding of target organizations. FBI Director Kash Patel publicly pledged to pursue political targets "like the domestic terrorists that they are."
DOJ sued six states including Pennsylvania to force disclosure of sensitive voter data
On September 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice sued six states — California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania — demanding they turn over sensitive personal voter data including full names, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. The DOJ invoked the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, claiming the states were violating federal law by refusing to produce unredacted voter registration rolls. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a Republican, characterized the demand as a "concerning attempt" to consolidate federal control over state election administration, emphasizing that "in the United States of America, it's the states who run elections, not the federal government."
Attorney General Bondi fired Miami prosecutor Rosenzweig over years-old anti-Trump blog posts, part of DOJ purge of critics
Attorney General Pam Bondi fired federal prosecutor Will Rosenzweig from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida in Miami on September 23, 2025, less than three hours after conservative commentator Natalie Winters publicized years-old blog posts Rosenzweig had written as a private citizen criticizing Donald Trump. Rosenzweig, a five-year veteran of the office, was two weeks from trying a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case at the time; his firing was part of what reporting described as a broader personnel purge inside the Justice Department of prosecutors and agents seen as insufficiently loyal to the administration.
Trump publicly demands removal of EDVA U.S. attorney Siebert, who refused to indict Letitia James; Siebert resigns
President Trump publicly stated on September 19, 2025 that he wanted Erik Siebert, the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, removed from his post; Siebert confirmed his resignation the same day. Siebert had reportedly informed senior Justice Department officials that he found insufficient evidence to charge New York Attorney General Letitia James — a Democrat who had successfully prosecuted Trump for civil fraud — with mortgage fraud. His top deputy, First Assistant Maya Song, also departed, and James was subsequently indicted on October 9, 2025, after new leadership took over.
DHS opened 'Camp 57' ICE detention unit inside Angola prison's former solitary-confinement wing for civil immigration detainees
On September 3, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the opening of "Camp 57," an ICE detention facility inside Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola), occupying the facility's former Camp J solitary-confinement wing — a section shuttered approximately seven years earlier after cell locks malfunctioned, dozens of weapons were found, and more than 80 staff resigned or were fired for misconduct. The facility opened with 51 civil immigration detainees and a stated capacity of 416; courts later ordered four detainees released citing conditions.
Trump directed DOJ to investigate federal grantees for lobbying and partisan activity, targeting advocacy organizations
President Trump signed a presidential memorandum on August 28, 2025, directing the Attorney General to investigate whether federal grant funds are being used for lobbying or partisan political activity, with a report due in 180 days. The memo, titled "Use of Appropriated Funds for Illegal Lobbying and Partisan Political Activity by Federal Grantees," cited the Byrd Amendment but framed the investigation scope to include political and advocacy activity broader than what the statute covers. Legal observers noted the memo's "partisan political activity" language creates a chilling effect on civil society organizations that receive federal funding while engaging in policy advocacy.
Trump signed EO 14341 directing AG to prosecute flag burning despite Supreme Court rulings protecting it as free speech
President Trump signed Executive Order 14341 on August 25, 2025, directing the Attorney General to prioritize prosecution of flag burning under any available criminal or civil law, despite Supreme Court rulings in Texas v. Johnson (1989) and United States v. Eichman (1990) holding that flag desecration is constitutionally protected political speech. The order explicitly acknowledges the Supreme Court precedent but instructs the AG to pursue prosecution using content-neutral laws as a workaround and to litigate to narrow First Amendment protections. The order also directs immigration officials to deny or revoke visas and naturalization for foreign nationals who burn the American flag.
FBI searched home and office of former national security adviser Bolton; Trump privately directed investigation toward vocal critic
On August 22, 2025, FBI agents searched the Maryland home and Washington office of former national security adviser John Bolton as part of a classified-information investigation. Bolton, a vocal Trump critic since leaving the administration in 2019, was not detained and no charges were filed at the time. The Washington Post reported that Trump had privately pointed a finger at Bolton in the days immediately preceding the raids, while the Biden-era Justice Department had reviewed the same underlying materials and declined to prosecute.
AG Bondi installed DEA administrator as DC 'emergency police commissioner' with authority over MPD chief; administration retreated after lawsuit
On August 14, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a directive naming DEA Administrator Terry Cole as Washington D.C.'s "emergency police commissioner," ordering that the Metropolitan Police Department must receive Cole's approval before issuing any operational orders—effectively placing a federal official with no local jurisdiction above the elected city government's police chief. The DC Attorney General filed suit, and within 24 hours the Trump administration backed down, revising Cole's role to Bondi's "designee" and restoring the MPD chief's operational authority. No statute authorizes the U.S. Attorney General to appoint a police commissioner for the District of Columbia.
AG Bondi opened DOJ investigations into Sen. Adam Schiff and NY AG Letitia James, appointing Trump ally Ed Martin as special attorney for both probes
On August 8, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi formally opened Department of Justice investigations into Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and New York Attorney General Letitia James — both prominent Trump critics — appointing conservative activist and former interim D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin as special attorney to lead both probes. The referrals came exclusively from FHFA Director Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist with no prosecutorial background, who alleged mortgage fraud by each official. Prosecutors subsequently found insufficient evidence to bring charges and the Schiff probe stalled.
AG Bondi filed judicial misconduct complaint against Chief Judge Boasberg, seeking removal from deportation cases
Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Department of Justice to file a formal judicial misconduct complaint against Chief Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 29, 2025, alleging he made "improper" remarks at a closed judicial conference where he reportedly expressed concern the Trump administration would defy court orders and trigger a "constitutional crisis." The complaint, filed with D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan, explicitly requested Boasberg's reassignment from deportation cases and a special-committee investigation. Boasberg had presided over multiple rulings blocking Trump administration deportation flights prior to the complaint.
AG Pamela Bondi issued guidance classifying DEI programs as unlawful discrimination, threatening federal grant revocation
On July 29, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi issued a formal DOJ guidance memorandum directing all recipients of federal funds — including universities, hospitals, and state governments — to treat diversity, equity, and inclusion programs as potentially unlawful under federal antidiscrimination statutes. The guidance defined prohibited practices including race-based scholarships, DEI training programs, and mentorship programs limited to specific groups, with violations subject to grant revocation and False Claims Act liability. The DOJ simultaneously activated its Civil Rights Fraud Initiative to prosecute non-compliant funding recipients.
Bondi designated Bill Essayli "first assistant" to a vacant post to bypass Senate confirmation for LA's top federal prosecutor job
On July 29, 2025, days before his 120-day interim term as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California was set to expire, Bill Essayli resigned as interim U.S. Attorney and Attorney General Pam Bondi designated him "first assistant U.S. attorney," letting him continue running the Los Angeles office as its acting head without ever facing Senate confirmation. A federal judge ruled in October 2025 that Essayli's resulting "acting" status was unlawful, and a unanimous Ninth Circuit panel found the identical maneuver unlawful in a Nevada case in August 2026, but DOJ has kept Essayli in place under the same title.
DOJ designated Sigal Chattah 'first assistant' to a vacant post to bypass Senate confirmation for Nevada's top prosecutor job
On July 28, 2025, two days before her 120-day interim term as Nevada's U.S. Attorney was set to expire, Sigal Chattah resigned as interim U.S. Attorney and the Justice Department designated her "first assistant U.S. attorney" for the District of Nevada the same day, leaving the top post itself vacant and letting her continue serving as "acting" U.S. Attorney under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act without ever facing Senate confirmation. Attorney General Pam Bondi made the designation; Nevada's two Democratic senators called it an unconstitutional maneuver to keep an unconfirmable nominee in office without a floor vote.
Five federal agencies simultaneously stripped immigrant access to life-safety benefit programs, revoking 24 years of DOJ guidance
On July 10-11, 2025, five federal departments — Justice, Health and Human Services, Education, Agriculture, and Labor — simultaneously issued notices rescinding decades-old guidance that had protected immigrant access to federal benefit programs under the "necessary to protect life or safety" exception in the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The DOJ withdrew its 2001 Attorney General interpretation identifying which programs qualified, effective August 15, 2025; HHS rescinded a 1998 policy keeping Head Start, community health clinics, and Title X accessible; the Department of Education revoked its 1997 guidance covering adult education and postsecondary programs. Multiple states sued immediately.
DOJ subpoenaed six years of records on every minor treated for gender dysphoria at Rhode Island Hospital
On July 9, 2025, the Justice Department served an administrative subpoena on Rhode Island Hospital demanding roughly six years of records — identities, addresses, diagnoses, treatments, and parents' names — for every minor treated there for gender dysphoria. The subpoena was one strand of a nationwide DOJ campaign that came to target more than 20 doctors and hospitals providing gender-affirming care to minors. The hospital did not comply; nearly ten months later a federal judge quashed the demand, holding it "lacks a congressionally authorized purpose" and was "issued in bad faith for an improper purpose," and tying it directly to White House policy direction. DOJ has appealed.
DOJ Civil Division memo elevated denaturalization to top-five priority, expanding revocation criteria far beyond fraud-in-naturalization
On June 11, 2025, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate signed a DOJ Civil Division enforcement memo making denaturalization one of the division's top five priorities, directing attorneys to "prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence." The memo expanded revocation criteria beyond war criminals and fraud-in-naturalization to include PPP loan fraud, Medicaid fraud, gang membership, and a catch-all "any other cases" category—affecting all 24.5 million naturalized Americans, who have no right to appointed counsel in these civil proceedings.
Trump signed memorandum directing DOJ to investigate Biden's autopen use and alleged cognitive decline, without evidence
On June 4, 2025, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing White House Counsel David Warrington and Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether officials "conspired to deceive the public" about President Biden's mental state and whether Biden validly executed executive actions through autopen. Legal experts confirmed autopen use has been settled law since a 2005 DOJ OLC opinion; Biden denied the claims; and Trump himself acknowledged the next day that he had not found evidence documents were signed without Biden's approval.
DOJ filed motion to terminate Flores Settlement Agreement, eliminating court-ordered protections for immigrant children in custody
On May 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion in federal court to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement, a 1997 court settlement that has set minimum care standards and a 20-day detention cap for immigrant children in federal custody for nearly three decades. Attorney General Pam Bondi's DOJ argued termination was warranted by post-settlement regulations and a 2022 Supreme Court ruling. Judge Dolly Gee denied the motion in August 2025, finding the government remained in substantial noncompliance with the settlement's terms.
Trump signed EO 14287, creating 'sanctuary jurisdiction' list and ordering agencies to identify federal grants for withholding
On April 28, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14287, "Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens," formally establishing a government-wide sanctuary jurisdiction designation-and-punishment mechanism. The order directed the Attorney General and DHS Secretary to publish a list of states and localities that obstruct federal immigration enforcement and instructed all federal department heads to identify grants and contracts flowing to listed jurisdictions "for suspension or termination." A federal court blocked the funding-withholding component within 11 days, ruling it could not be used as "an end run around" an existing preliminary injunction against earlier Trump sanctuary-city directives.
Trump signed EO 14288 directing DOJ to rescind police-reform consent decrees and threaten prosecution of local officials for DEI policing
On April 28, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14288, directing the Attorney General to review and rescind DOJ Civil Rights Division consent decrees with local police departments and to pursue prosecution of local officials whose DEI-based policing policies the administration deems unlawful. The EO also directed the Department of Defense to identify how military assets and personnel could be used for domestic crime prevention. Implementation was immediate: the Civil Rights Division dismissed pending consent decrees in Minneapolis and Louisville, retracted violation findings in six other cities, and approximately 70 percent of Civil Rights Division staff were expected to resign or be removed.
Trump directed AG Bondi to investigate ActBlue while applying no scrutiny to Republican equivalent WinRed
On April 24, 2025, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing Attorney General Pamela Bondi, in consultation with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, to investigate alleged straw-donor and foreign-contribution violations at ActBlue, the dominant Democratic online fundraising platform. The directive cited a partisan House Republican investigation that examined only ActBlue and not WinRed, the structurally identical Republican equivalent. Democratic party leaders called the memo "designed to undermine democratic participation."
AG Bondi issued memo directing FBI and DOJ to investigate and prosecute gender-affirming care providers for minors
On April 22, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi issued a memorandum titled "Preventing the Mutilation of American Children" directing the FBI to investigate gender-affirming care providers for criminal violations and directing DOJ's Consumer Protection Branch and Civil Division Fraud Section to pursue misbranding and False Claims Act cases against manufacturers and medical providers. The memo simultaneously announced the "Attorney General's Coalition Against Child Mutilation," a formal partnership with state attorneys general to coordinate criminal and civil enforcement against hospitals and practitioners. Gender-affirming care for minors was legal under federal law at the time the memo was issued.
AG Bondi directed DOJ Civil Rights Division to dismiss Title VII disparate-impact enforcement suits against police and fire departments
On February 26, 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to dismiss multiple Biden-era lawsuits against police and fire departments accused of discriminatory hiring. The dismissed cases alleged that written aptitude and physical fitness tests produced racially disparate outcomes in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Bondi framed the dismissals as ending "DEI quotas," although the underlying lawsuits involved standard disparate-impact enforcement that federal courts have upheld since 1971.
Trump ordered Bureau of Prisons to transfer 37 Biden-commuted death-row inmates to Supermax as punishment for their clemency
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to house 37 federal inmates whose death sentences Biden had commuted in conditions matching "the monstrosity of their crimes," and the Bureau of Prisons moved to redesignate them to the ADX Florence Supermax facility. A federal judge found in February 2026 that the redesignation process had been predetermined and blocked further transfers as a due-process "sham."
Trump signed EO 14147 directing AG and DNI to review prior-administration enforcement as 'weaponization' and prepare remedial actions
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14147, "Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government," directing the Attorney General to review all DOJ and civil and criminal enforcement activities of the prior four years, identify purported instances of politically-motivated enforcement, and submit a report recommending remedial actions. The order also directed the Director of National Intelligence to conduct a parallel review of all Intelligence Community activities over the same period. The EO served as the originating legal authority cited in subsequent retaliatory actions against law firms, prosecutors, and former officials throughout 2025 and 2026.