Trump DOJ attorney hit with ethical charges by DC bar over anti-DEI push
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The ethical complaint stems from a letter Ed Martin sent to Georgetown’s law school, accusing it of teaching DEI, which President Trump has sought to ban through executive orders.
A top Department of Justice attorney who led the Trump administration’s push to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at U.S. universities is now facing disciplinary action by the D.C. Bar.
According to the New York Times, Ed Martin, the former acting U.S. Attorney for Washington, was sanctioned by the bar for threatening to withhold funding from Georgetown University’s Law Center and bar his staff from hiring the school’s students to punish the institution for its DEI practices. The D.C. Bar slammed the action as a violation of the First Amendment.
Martin faces two counts of misconduct in what is the equivalent of a civil lawsuit in the nation’s capital. The DOJ lawyer was forced to step down as acting U.S. Attorney in D.C. because he lacked the votes to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
The charges against Martin accuse him of violating his oath of office after swearing to support the Constitution, conducting unauthorized ex parte communications with a judge, and “engaging in conduct that seriously interferes with the administration of justice.” The ethical complaint stems from a letter Martin sent to Georgetown’s law school, accusing it of teaching DEI, which President Trump has sought to ban through executive orders.
“Mr. Martin did not define ‘D.E.I.’ or specify what ideas Georgetown Law was teaching or promoting that the government deemed unacceptable,” the filing said, adding, “Without further explanation, and before even receiving a response, Mr. Martin announced in his Feb. 17 letter that he was imposing sanctions on Georgetown Law, its students or anyone affiliated with the school.”
Martin also said his office would not offer any applicants from Georgetown internships, fellowships, or employment until the school complied with the Trump administration’s demands.
“Mr. Martin knew or should have known that, as a government official, his conduct violated the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution of the United States,” the disciplinary complaint said.
In January, the Trump administration dropped its appeal of a ruling that blocked its attempt to strip federal funding from schools and colleges that promote DEI initiatives.
The D.C. bar’s move against Ed Martin is a significant escalation against attorneys working in the Trump administration and executing directives from the president that legal experts say are unlawful or unethical. Similar to Martin, the Florida Bar is investigating Lindsey Halligan, the former acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, related to her role in prosecuting Trump’s perceived political enemies: New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
The maximum sanction in such a case, like the one against Martin, is disbarment, but it can take many years to reach a conclusion.