Legal experts from various political backgrounds are criticizing an Obama-appointed federal judge for suggesting that bar associations should investigate lawyers affiliated with the president or Department of Justice. A liberal constitutional law professor has stated he will not teach students that such a recommendation is acceptable.
Judge’s Action Sparks Debate
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams referred Trump attorney Alejandro Brito to the Florida Bar, in a decision released Monday. She ordered the opinion sent to authorities pondering disciplinary complaints against Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.
Williams’s ruling stemmed from a case involving a settlement protecting Trump, his family, and associated businesses from certain federal tax audits. Bar associations can suspend law licenses of practicing lawyers, including DOJ officials.
“The court would also have litigants believe that, in such a circumstance, it is not only appropriate to dismiss the case but also to sanction and deprive litigants and their counsel of their reputation, license, or money,” said constitutional law professor Christian Lee Gonzalez-Rivera to Fox News Digital.
Existing Complaints
The complaint against Blanche alleges mishandled evidence related to Jeffrey Epstein’s investigation, DOJ misuse against Trump’s enemies, and inadequate representation during negotiations leading to the now-defunct $1.8 billion weaponization compensation fund.
Woodward’s complaint accuses him of a conflict of interest for approving the weaponization fund, having previously represented Jan. 6 defendants and Trump affiliates who could benefit from it. Gonzalez-Rivera rejected the idea of recommending professional punishment for losing arguments in high-stakes cases.
Impact on Legal Profession
Former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark warned Williams’s order, if normalized, could harm the legal profession by empowering a few bar association insiders. He emphasized that state and local bars should not supervise DOJ leaders, cautioning against monopoly of power by the Left.
“This nonsense has to end,” Clark wrote. “The Framers would be shocked to learn that the real boss of Executive Branch legal power is not the President, but elite lawyers with the meta-power of legal ethics.”
Disciplinary Proceedings
Clark has faced disciplinary recommendations for possible disbarment over his DOJ letter to Georgia officials after the 2020 election, which he has denied as politically motivated.
Williams sent her opinion to authorities for existing complaints review involving Blanche and Woodward, formally referring Brito for signing a “bad faith” complaint.
Calls for Higher Court Review
Jay Town, former United States Attorney, criticized the attacks on DOJ lawyers, including Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Williams was appointed in 2011 by President Obama. Her past ruling against a Florida detention center was overruled by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Gonzalez-Rivera suggested Williams’s action could lead higher courts to revisit judge-made doctrines like justiciability, which may be weaponized from within the judiciary.
Conservative lawyer Mike Davis urged the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn Williams’s ruling. Clark accused Williams of strategically timing her referral before Blanche’s confirmation hearing.
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