State-Bar and Federal Disciplinary Authority: Legal Ethics and Political Appointees During Trump 2.0

Join the ACS George Washington University Law School Chapter for a panel on a pressing question for the profession: what happens when federal attorneys, including prominent political appointees, fail to meet their ethical obligations?

Moderated by Joseph Tirrell, a former DOJ senior ethics attorney, the program brings together Chris Swartz (Democracy Defenders Fund), Stuart Gerson (Society for the Rule of Law), and Rupa Bhattacharyya (Institute for Constitutional Advocacy & Protection, Georgetown Law). They will examine bar complaints against current and former Attorneys General, the D.C. Bar's investigation of Ed Martin, and DOJ v. D.C. Bar and the Jeffrey Clark disciplinary proceedings. The discussion will also address the Department of Justice's proposed rule claiming a right of first review over state-bar disciplinary proceedings against government lawyers, weighing it against the McDade Amendment (28 U.S.C. § 530B) and Congress's 1970 delegation of attorney-disciplinary authority to the D.C. Court of Appeals. The panel will close by examining the implications for prosecutorial independence, separation of powers, and the rule of law, along with options for reforming the bar's relationship with the federal government. The event was convened by ACS D.C. Chapter Board Member Ethan S. Burger, President of the Law Firm Client Integrity Initiative.