Published On 1/6/2026
Under President Donald Trump, the US administration is witnessing an unprecedented wave of departures of government lawyers, according to data analyzed by the New York Times, which has led to a severe shortage of legal personnel within a number of federal institutions and raised questions about the government’s ability to implement its policies and defend them before the courts.
Data analyzed by the New York Times indicates that more than 10,000 lawyers have left government jobs since the beginning of 2025, equivalent to about one-fifth of the lawyers working in the federal government by the end of 2024.
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
By March 2026, the number of civil lawyers working for the government had decreased to about 37,000, i.e. 17% less than the previous period.
This decline is due to a combination of natural retirement, voluntary resignations, and widespread layoffs, in addition to the departure of a number of lawyers who objected to the new administration’s policies or the way they were implemented. Observers believe that these developments have weakened the attractiveness of government service, which for decades was considered a prestigious destination for lawyers wishing to work in public service.
Losing agencies
The Ministry of Justice was the most affected in terms of the number of departing lawyers, as it lost more than two thousand lawyers, while the Ministry of Education recorded the largest decline after losing more than half of its legal staff. The Ministries of Housing, Labor, Energy, Health, and Agriculture also saw significant declines in the numbers of lawyers.
On the other hand, the Department of Homeland Security was the only major agency where the number of lawyers increased, driven by the growth of cases related to the immigration and mass deportation policies adopted by the Trump administration.
According to a report by the British newspaper The Independent, the pace of departing American lawyers has far outpaced new hiring, prompting some agencies to urgently search for new lawyers to fill the growing shortage.
Political controversy
Critics link this professional migration to growing political pressures within state institutions, especially the Ministry of Justice. Reports say that the administration excluded or forced the departure of a number of lawyers who participated in files that were inconsistent with Trump’s political priorities, or refused to respond to demands related to the prosecution of his political opponents.
The New York Times indicates that many law school students and young lawyers in America have become reluctant to join the current administration for fear of the impact on their future career path.
On the other hand, Trump defended these changes, considering that the exit of these lawyers is “a very good thing,” and said that the administration wants employees who support the slogan “Make America Great Again,” and not people appointed by the administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
But the growing shortage has forced the Ministry of Justice to relax some hiring conditions and offer signing bonuses of up to $25,000 to attract new lawyers. However, the New York Times points out that many law school students and young lawyers have become reluctant to join the current administration for fear of the impact on their future career path.
At the same time, Democratic attorneys general’s offices and civil rights nonprofits have benefited from the wave, attracting a growing number of former federal lawyers who have moved on to work on legal challenges against administration policies.
The two newspapers conclude that the Trump administration faces a clear paradox: While it sought to reduce bureaucracy and remove those it considered obstructing its political agenda, it found itself faced with a growing lack of legal expertise necessary to defend its decisions and implement its controversial programs, which threatens to leave long-term effects on the efficiency of American federal institutions.
