More than 10,000 government lawyers have left the Trump administration, with roughly one in five attorneys who worked in the federal workforce at the end of 2024 no longer employed by March 2026, according to a New York Times analysis.
The exodus spans multiple departments as President Donald Trump pushed to reduce the federal workforce, eliminate entire agencies, and pressure attorneys to implement his agenda regardless of constitutionality. The Department of Education lost over 50 per cent of its lawyers, while the Justice Department saw a 21 per cent decrease. The only department to gain lawyers was the Department of Homeland Security, due to increased litigation from Trump's mass deportation plan.
Layoffs, firings, and voluntary departures outpaced new hires, leaving some areas understaffed and scrambling to recruit. The Justice Department is now offering $25,000 signing bonuses and lowering hiring standards. However, new lawyers are reportedly reluctant to join, with one conservative law student questioning whether a year of Trump administration experience would help their career.
President Trump defended the purge on Truth Social, calling it “very good” and stating that he wants people who will “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” not those who were put in by previous administrations. The administration has also fired lawyers who worked on January 6 prosecutions or refused to indict Trump's enemies.
The Department of Education is attempting to rehire staff it let go, with Secretary Linda McMahon telling senators in April that she was “bringing back many of those lawyers” to handle a backlog of civil rights complaints. Meanwhile, the Treasury Department's top lawyer resigned after the DOJ announced a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that could compensate January 6 rioters who were pardoned.
