Alyssa Lareau quit the civil rights division last year. She recalled asking herself: “Am I contributing to a fascist regime?”Illustration by Tyler Comrie
During Donald Trump’s second presidential term, Countless federal employees and career civil servants face an agonizing choice: resign or stay? Resigning means escaping the chaos and corruption of this administration – standing up and saying no. But it also means handing over government more completely to Trump and his sycophants, leaving open opportunities for influence. “In no agency is the risk of this dilemma greater than at the Department of Justice, whose mission is to uphold the rule of law.” Eyal Press writes in this week’s issue. Trump has sought to use the Justice Department as a vehicle for his personal grievances, directing lawyers there to investigate and prosecute his political opponents.
According to recent analysis timeOne in five government lawyers has left the job since the start of 2025. More than 4,000 lawyers, about 30%, have left the Justice Department. Reporters spoke to multiple former and current Justice Department attorneys, each of whom has experienced some version of this tricky calculation. Some people quit when asked to cross professional or ethical boundaries. Others have been fired or furloughed for not adhering to the government’s agenda. Others stayed and tried their best to bring about change from within.
Price provides perspectives from all sides in his thorough reporting. “I think the department now too often behaves like a criminal organization and being a part of it just helps it achieve its goals,” said one attorney who left. “The Department of Justice left me. I didn’t leave the Department of Justice,” said another. Others felt equally passionately that attorneys should stay put. “Some abstract general objections are not enough to make us abandon our mission and the people we should be fighting for,” one prosecutor said. “I have a level of resentment for people who give up without getting anywhere near the red line, branding themselves as heroes and being lauded as heroes because of it. To me, that feels like abandonment — and selfishness.”
As Trump’s second term continues, this debate over conscience and politics will only intensify. A fundamental question remains, in the words of a former Justice Department attorney: “Can you work for justice in an unjust department?”
