Washington is abuzz with a sudden power struggle as two close allies of President Donald Trump make bids for leadership positions within the D.C. Bar Association. This under-the-radar effort aims to grant them more influence within the prestigious legal group.
The move comes amidst bar associations clashing with the Trump administration, prompting some federal attorneys to seek ethical guidance from their state counterparts as the government undergoes rapid changes under Trump’s leadership. Bradley Bondi, brother of Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Alicia Long, deputy to Ed Martin, Trump’s interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, are vying for the positions of president and treasurer in an election scheduled from April to June, as per the organization’s website.
While the public may not closely monitor bar associations, lawyers certainly do. These non-governmental entities hold sway over who can practice law, including decisions on professional misconduct. The D.C. Bar, boasting over 120,000 members and a significant representation of federal attorneys due to its location, plays a crucial role in the legal landscape.
The push for control over the D.C. Bar comes in response to warnings issued by Trump administration officials to bar associations, hinting at their potential role in scrutinizing legally dubious aspects of Trump’s agenda. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in one of her initial actions, cautioned career lawyers about potential dismissal for refusing orders based on personal objections, as the D.C. Bar continues to offer a confidential legal ethics hotline for member concerns.
Bondi and Long face a single opponent each in their bids for leadership roles. If successful, they would join the organization’s 23-person Board of Governors. While the D.C. Bar itself does not directly administer lawyer discipline, its board recommends members for the D.C. Board of Professional Responsibility, the disciplinary body of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
As the House and Senate remain under Republican control, bar discipline could serve as a key avenue to hold Trump-appointed attorneys accountable. Recently, a group of Democratic senators raised alarms about interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin’s actions, accusing him of professional conduct violations and misuse of his position. Some Trump legal representatives have faced repercussions in Washington, such as Rudy Giuliani’s disbarment last year over his attempts to challenge the 2020 election results.
Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department lawyer linked to Trump’s post-election activities, faced scrutiny from the D.C. Board on Professional Responsibility. Following his invocation of the Fifth Amendment, a panel preliminarily found him in breach of ethics, recommending his suspension from legal practice.
Clark has taken on the role of acting administrator of the White House Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs with Trump back in the White House. A Republican report by Rep. Barry Loudermilk from Georgia suggested potential coordination between House Jan. 6 investigators and the D.C. Bar to target an attorney who represented a former Trump White House aide, though the complaint was dismissed by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel last year.
The bids from Bondi and Long raised concerns among Washington attorneys, with an email circulating among them labeling the pair as “Trump/Pam Bondi loyalists” attempting to seize control of the DC Bar. An attorney at a federal agency noted that this pro-Trump maneuver could be met with internal resistance from lawyers wary of the professional implications of advancing Trump’s agenda.
Bondi and Long declined to comment, and the DC Bar did not respond to inquiries. Bondi’s opponent, Diane A. Seltzer, emphasized her candidacy as a culmination of extensive bar leadership experience during a critical period in history, aiming to support fellow members of the legal community amidst governmental turmoil.
There are apprehensions among some Washington lawyers that the presence of Trump-aligned officials at the DC Bar could lead to disregarding Court of Appeals rulings or Disciplinary Counsel orders. Seltzer highlighted the importance of upholding legal standards and voiced opposition to any potential blurring of lines that might undermine the authority of legal oversight bodies.
The disciplinary process can be lengthy, exemplified by the case of Jennifer Kerkhoff Muyskens, a former assistant U.S. attorney facing a disciplinary hearing eight years after her involvement in prosecuting anti-Trump protesters during his inauguration in 2017. The Trump administration’s strained relationship with bar associations, coupled with accusations of left-wing bias, escalated during his presidency, notably with the American Bar Association’s “not qualified” ratings for some judicial nominees.
Project 2025 addressed these issues in its policy roadmap, targeting the American Bar Association and advocating for a more conservative-oriented future.
The administration has called on the president to issue an executive order to pursue antitrust measures against a particular entity. Early in his presidency, Trump signed an executive order allowing for investigations into bar associations regarding their diversity programs. The American Bar Association criticized the administration for what it viewed as significant challenges to the rule of law. In response to Elon Musk’s call for the impeachment of judges who ruled against Trump, the ABA stated that it would not remain quiet in the face of attempts to reshape the legal profession based on conformity to the government’s views. The ABA emphasized that efforts to intimidate should not be tolerated or normalized. The Justice Department’s chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, countered the ABA’s criticisms by alleging that the association’s advocacy often aligns with left-wing initiatives. He argued that such activism undermines justice and highlighted the DOJ’s role in ending radical diversity programs in compliance with Trump’s executive orders. Mizelle’s wife, Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who was rated as “not qualified” by the ABA in 2020, was later appointed as a U.S. district court judge in Florida at the age of 33, becoming the youngest individual chosen by Trump for such a lifetime position.
