In the News

CBS News, Feb. 4, 2026

"We should all pay attention to why some of the state's top federal prosecutors chose to leave -- it had nothing to do with political disagreement; rather, this administration asked them to violate their legal and ethical responsibilities, and they believed the exit was their only option," [Stacey] Young said. "The loss of institutional knowledge and expertise will destabilize the U.S. Attorney's office, leaving Minnesotans' safety and rights less protected."

E&E News, Feb. 3, 2026

Over the last 12 months, at least 140 lawyers have departed — by force or by choice — DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division…[Cynthia] Ferguson retired in August, according to [Justice Connection's] October document signed by 295 DOJ alumni rebuking the administration’s attacks on the department.

Louisville Courier Journal, Feb. 2, 2026

"In many cases, these departures [from the DOJ] leave entire offices rudderless," [Stacey] Young said in an interview. "When you lose seasoned lawyers and agents and analysts and many others, that leaves our country less safe. It leaves our nation less secure. It leaves our fundamental rights less protected."

Los Angeles Times, Jan. 31, 2026

“When top federal law enforcement leaders in the country push false narratives like this, it leads the public to question everything the government says going forward,” said Peter Carr, a former Justice Department spokesman in Washington who served in Democratic and Republican administrations…“That trust that has been built up over generations is gone.”

Washington Post, Jan. 29, 2026

In 2024, roughly 10,000 attorneys worked across the Justice Department and its components, including the FBI. In 2025, Justice Connection…estimates that at least 5,500 people — not all of them attorneys — had quit the department, been fired or taken a buyout offered by the Trump administration. The department has struggled to find qualified candidates to fill these vacancies.

CBS News, Jan. 26, 2026

“Good policing requires public trust and accountability," said Stacey Young…"Rather than investigating allegations of unlawful, excessive force by federal agents in Minneapolis, the Justice Department has launched investigations into conduct by victims and surviving family members instead of the agents who fired the guns."

MS NOW, Jan. 27, 2026

“You see individuals are protesting but didn’t appear to incite any violence and were killed for doing so,” [Stacey] Young said. “It doesn’t matter what your politics are. Anyone who believes in democracy and the rule of law should understand that exercising your first amendment rights should not result in your death.”

UnJustified Podcast, Jan. 25, 2026

"We're seeing a Civil Rights Division that's really acting on the president's notion that civil rights laws have harmed White people," said Jen Swedish…"I think the president's recent statement about reverse discrimination has demonstrated that this administration is focused much more narrowly on White people."

Good Morning America, Jan. 25, 2026

"The Justice Department has abdicated its role in seeking accountability for these fatal shootings by refusing to investigate allegations of unlawful, excessive force by federal agents in Minneapolis," Stacey Young said.

Federal News Network, Jan. 24, 2026

[Justice Connection] is offering to connect current and recent DOJ employees with more than 100 agency alumni. They’ll be able to get informational interviews, advice and insights on how to continue on a specific career path, including for attorneys, legal support staff, and many others.

Law360, Jan. 23, 2026

In a Tuesday brief, Justice Connection and Michael Feinberg, one of its advisory committee members who formerly worked for the FBI, asserted that the government's "substantive justification for Comey's termination" conflicts with "fundamental premises" of the Civil Service Reform Act, or CSRA.

Rolling Stone, Jan. 23, 2026

“[Dhillion’s management of the division is] all about clicks and PR,” Stacey Young says. “You’re seeing Harmeet Dhillon not just prematurely announce investigations on social media, but threaten individuals and entities on social media….It’s hard for the division to maintain any kind of integrity when its leader is willing to engage in that conduct.”

Government Executive, Jan. 20, 2026

Despite Trump’s claims, unemployment data for states with high concentrations of federal workers, like Maryland, have been steadily climbing since Trump’s return to Washington. Indeed, Justice Connection…on Tuesday coincidentally announced the expansion of its employee support network.

The Contrarian, Jan. 20, 2026

Stacey and Jen talked about what’s happening in Minnesota, the consequences of a prejudiced justice department, and the possibilities for state prosecution for crimes that were federally pardoned.

CBS News, Jan. 19, 2026

"We're seeing a Civil Rights Division that's really acting on the president's notion that civil rights laws have harmed White people," said Jen Swedish…"We are right now operating under a backdrop of a Department of Justice that's no longer independent from the White House."

AP News, Jan. 16, 2026

Justice Connection, a network of department alums, estimates that more than 230 lawyers, agents and other employees from across the department were fired last year, apparently because of their work on cases they were assigned or past criticism of Trump, or seemingly no reason.

CBC’s As It Happens, Jan. 14, 2026

Stacey Young said “The video seems to indicate…misconduct—serious, potentially unconstitutional misconduct—by the agent who shot Renee Good. Under any other administration, the obvious thing to do would be to send prosecutors to the scene. Instead, this administration is slamming the victim [and] focusing on the victim’s widow. That is alarming and nonsensical.”

MS Now, Jan. 13, 2026

Stacey Young talks with Jen Psaki about why the Justice Department refusing to do its job is extremely uncommon, and also an abdication of the department's role in American governance.

CBS News, Jan. 11, 2026

"The Community Relations Service was designed to help de-escalate tensions like those we see in Minneapolis and Portland, and for decades it succeeded in that mission," said Stacey Young, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Justice Connection…"For no logical reason, the administration discarded the experts who were best positioned to keep budding conflicts from turning violent. We're seeing the consequences of that fateful decision."

New York Times, Jan. 7, 2026

Overall, the advocacy group Justice Connection estimates that about 5,500 prosecutors, agents and other department employees left in 2025. In total, the department employs about 115,000, including F.B.I. agents, technical support staff and thousands of correction officers at the Bureau of Prisons.

Al Jazeera, Dec. 30, 2025

“It’s been reckless and shocking and terrifying,” said Stacey Young, who worked at the Justice Department for 18 years.…”For the rule of law to survive, the DOJ needs to be impartial, and it needs to adhere to constitutional principles and the law."

Katie Phang, Dec. 24, 2025

The Founder and Executive Director of The Justice Connection, Stacey Young, joins Katie Phang to talk about how her organization is fighting back, defending the rule of law, and supporting current and former DOJ employees.

MS Now, Dec. 22, 2025

Stacey Young, a former Justice Department official who founded Justice Connection…says the BMW request is another example of Patel putting his public image ahead of concern for taxpayer resources, calling it “an embarrassment.” https://www.ms.now/news/kash-patels-new-ride-of-choice-an-armored-luxury-bmw

Democracy Docket, Dec. 21, 2025

“Courts expect Justice Department lawyers to act honestly, in good faith, and to follow proper procedures,” Stacey Young, executive director and founder of Justice Connection…told Democracy Docket. “Mistakes in court filings – from small to large – can result in courts losing that implicit trust. If a lawyer is not careful enough to catch these mistakes, it makes the court question the validity of the facts and legal arguments in the filing as well.”

Roll Call, Dec. 18, 2025

Thomas Padden, a longtime OCDETF official who served as acting director during the closure process, wrote on [Justice Connection’s] Substack that the changes are among those that mean America “is left more vulnerable to organized crime threats.”

NPR, Dec. 13, 2025

The Senate still has advice and consent power and some oversight power...and some nonprofit groups suggest accountability, for now, may be simply documenting all the unusual and possibly unlawful things happening at the Justice Department.

Los Angeles Times, Dec. 13, 2025

Jen Swedish, a former deputy chief on the employment discrimination team who worked on the UCLA case, said "virtually everything about the UC investigation was atypical. The political appointees essentially determined the outcome almost before the investigation had even started."

ProPublica, Dec. 12, 2025

"The incredibly short timing of this investigation is just emblematic of the fact that the end goal was never to conduct a thorough, unbiased investigation," Jen Swedish, said in an interview. "The end goal was to file a damn complaint - or have something to threaten the university."

Erie Times News, Dec. 10, 2025

Government can be a powerful force for good...For generations, the Civil Rights Division at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) wielded that powerful force. Across three administrations, I had the honor and privilege of serving the American people as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division.

Government Executive, Dec. 9, 2025

Led by the Justice Connection consortium of former employees, the ex-workers all hailed from the department's Civil Rights Division, or CRT. The staff had no intent of leaving their jobs or working against the Trump administration, but were pushed out due to the maneuverings of their political leadership.

The Guardian, Dec. 9, 2025

"Having no use for the expertise of career staff,, the Administration launched a coordinated effort to drive us out." The letter was released by Justice Connection, an organization started earlier this year to provide support for justice department employees.

Bloomberg Law, Dec. 9, 2025

More than 200 division employees who've left this year issued an open letter Tuesday blasting the administration for "destroying much of the Division's work," subverting its mission "in favor of President Trump's political agenda," and launching a "coordinated effort to drive us out."

Reuters, Dec. 9, 2025

More than 200 former employees of the U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday criticized what they called the ongoing "destruction" of its Civil Rights Division, saying President Donald Trump's administration has abandoned the agency's mission of protecting vulnerable Americans.

The Independent, Nov. 26, 2025

The Justice Connection, a network of FBI alumni and DOJ, has compiled a hefty tranche of farewell messages expressing discontent with how Bondi and the Commander-in-Chief are running the agency.

The Daily Beast, Nov. 25, 2025

Farewell letters paint a portrait of an agency appearing to buckle under President Trump's second-term demands, with some insiders warning of potentially irreversible damage. The Justice Connection has been collecting the notes from those who have walked out.

Reuters, Nov. 25, 2025

"The Civil Rights Division's new focus on the Second Amendment, which is far outside its longstanding mission, is moving us even further away from our nation's commitment to protecting all Americans' civil rights," Stacey Young said.

The Contrarian, Nov. 24, 2025

From day one of Trump's second term, this administration has been hellbent on destroying the Department of Justice from the inside out. Over 200 people have been fired and approximately 5,500 employees have resigned. How can the federal agency continue operations as normal under these conditions? As Stacey Young explains, it's really not.

Axios, Nov. 24, 2025

An exodus of Justice Department employees has left behind a trail of emotional farewell notes warning that agency values are eroding. Stacey Young said that the department's workforce is "being asked to put loyalty to the President over the Constitution, the rule of law, and their professional ethical obligations."

The Guardian, Nov. 24, 2025

"The purge we've witnessed at the Justice Department has been catastrophic, and it isn't slowing down," said Stacey Young. "Thousands have already left because of this administration's degradation of DOJ's vital work and its attacks on the public servants who do it."

CBS News, Nov. 23, 2025

Justice Connection spokesman Peter Carr said, "Somebody needed to capture all of these letters, so that they're not lost to history. These messages show what is happening in our country at this moment."

ABA Journal, Nov. 19, 2025

At least 200 people have been ousted, according to data collected by Justice Connection. Immigration judges employed by the Justice Department accounted for about 80 of those firings. Trump administration officials are struggling to fill those immigration judge vacancies, and the backlog of cases is growing.

MotherJones, Nov. 19, 2025

Career staff and leadership have been forced out under Dhillon. Figures the DOJ gave Congress and a list of departures released in October by Justice Connection, a network of agency alumni, suggest that nearly 400 people, including 75 percent of attorneys, have left the division since January.

CBS News, Nov. 17, 2025

Stacey Young said, "Federal prosecutors are deeply committed to public service, and more are pursuing that mission through elected office when staying at the Justice Department becomes infeasible. We need people across the political spectrum fighting to uphold the rule of law, including at the local level."

New York Times, Nov. 16, 2025

Deputy Director Jen Swedish said, "To demand lawyers put language in filings suggesting that we had filed a frivolous lawsuit - we thought that was unethical. We worried about our bar licenses."

Glenn Kirschner, Nov. 15, 2025

It's no secret that Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have been doing everything they can to damage and degrade the Department of Justice and to destroy DOJ's legitimacy in the eyes of the American people. Fortunately, there is an organization fighting against the destruction of DOJ. That organization is Justice Connection.

Democracy Docket, Nov. 14, 2025

In response to Bondi's post, Justice Connection, a support network for former and current DOJ employees, quoted a part of the department's manual governing communications between DOJ officials and the White House.

Politico, Nov. 6, 2025

"Justice Connection estimates that roughly 5,300 DOJ employees have left the agency since January...'If the Justice Department can be rebuilt it will take years and possibly generations,' [Stacey] Young said. 'There’s been just a massive exodus of invaluable institutional knowledge and talent.'"

CBS News, Oct. 22, 2025

Stacey Young said,"This is a clear example of the conflicts posed by installing the president's personal defense lawyers to run the Justice Department...These same loyalists ousted senior ethics officials who would have helped guide them through the proper way to handle the president's unprecedented demand for taxpayer money."

CBS News, Oct. 22, 2025

Stacey Young told CBS news: "We desperately need the expertise this new firm is offering. The Justice Department has abdicated its duty to enforce public corruption laws. Without state and local governments filling that void, public officials will have no incentive to treat citizens fairly within the law."

Bloomberg, Oct. 18, 2025

"Stacey Young, the executive director and founder of Justice Connection, said in an interview that it was easy to get Smith to appear in their video because 'he loves the Department of Justice...he expressed a strong interest in doing anything he can to be part of our effort and support what we’re doing.'"

MSNBC, Oct. 17, 2025

Stacey Young said, “It's the third indictment in less than one month of people on the president's enemies list... When you have what seems like pretty clear evidence of DOJ acting with partiality, that is when DOJ loses its integrity and respect among the public.”

The New York Times, Oct. 15, 2025

"Jack Smith, the special counsel who investigated Donald J. Trump and is now the subject of intense attacks from Republicans, appeared in a new video advocating on behalf of Justice Department employees who were fired or forced out by the Trump administration."

Law360, Oct. 15, 2025

"'The department is facing an existential crisis,' Stacey Young, the executive director and founder of Justice Connection, said in the video."

NBC News, Oct. 8, 2025

“'This administration is firing FBI agents who push back on direct orders from their superiors, while also firing agents who accepted assignments given to them in a prior administration,' [Stacey] Young said. 'Line agents can’t do their job if they are in constant fear that any action they take could result in their termination. They deserve better.'”

The National Press Foundation, Oct 8, 2025

“What we’ve seen has been, at DOJ, truly catastrophic,” said Stacey Young. “We have seen a purge of approximately 5,300 employees … that includes prosecutors and immigration judges and civil rights lawyers, counterintelligence analysts, people who do work that really affects every aspect of American’s lives.”

Legal AF, Oct. 7, 2025

"Popok is joined by Justice Connection's founder and executive director Stacey Young and former senior attorney with the DOJ to talk about the Senate Judiciary hearings with Pam Bondi , and how the Call to Action for Americans to help stop Trump's takeover of the DOJ."

Democracy Docket, Oct. 7, 2025

"Ahead of the hearing, 282 former DOJ career employees signed a public letter sounding an 'alarm about this administration’s degradation of DOJ’s vital work, and its assault on the public servants who do it.'"

ABC News, Oct. 7, 2025

"On Monday, nearly 300 DOJ employees who left the department since Trump's inauguration released a letter on the eve of Bondi's hearing describing her leadership as 'appalling' in its treatment of the career workforce and the elimination of longstanding norms of independence from the White House."

BBC, Oct. 7, 2025

"Her testimony on Tuesday also came just a day after a group of former justice department employees released a letter accusing Bondi of helping to take a 'sledgehammer' to 'longstanding work the department has done to protect communities and the rule of law.'"

PBS, Oct. 7, 2025

"Ahead of Bondi’s testimony, more than 280 former DOJ employees wrote a letter, urging Congress for more oversight due to the 'degradation' of oaths to the U.S. Constitution and to upholding the law under the Trump administration."

CSPAN, Oct. 7, 2025

Senator Schiff introduced Justice Connection's sign-on letter into the congressional record at AG Bondi’s oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee

Newsletter, Oct. 6, 2025

"The pushback against the administration’s politicization of the civil service—another hallmark of Project 2025—continued today when 282 former Department of Justice career officials wrote a letter warning that Trump and his appointees are destroying the Department of Justice. "

Axios, Oct. 6, 2025

"More than 275 former Justice Department employees are demanding Congress increase oversight of the department following a mass exodus of career officials who question the integrity of the department's work."

MSNBC, Oct. 6, 2025

“'We believe it’s our duty to sound the alarm about this administration’s degradation of DoJ’s vital work, and its assault on the public servants who do it,' according to an open letter signed by 282 former officials, obtained exclusively by MSNBC."

AP, Oct. 6, 2025

"Given the recent turmoil, Department of Justice employees could perceive the inspector general’s office as 'hostile territory,' said Stacey Young, a former department attorney who founded Justice Connection, an organization supporting the agency’s employees."

Reuters, Oct. 2, 2025

"Americans will feel the harm of this administration's slash-and-burn approach to governing," Stacey Young said. "This isn't a reorganization -- it's a decimation of some of DOJ's most vital work."

CBS News, Oct. 2, 2025

"Too often, job performance under this Justice Department leadership isn't measured by competence — in fact, it can be disqualifying," Stacey Young said. "In many cases, blind loyalty is the only factor that matters."

Bloomberg, Sept. 29, 2025

"But it’s 'almost unheard of' for career members of the Senior Executive Service to leave the Justice Department because of a change in administration, said Stacey Young...'there is no precedent for this,' said Young."

CNN, Sept. 26, 2025

"I do think we will continue to see people resign from their jobs and leave the department if they are basically asked to violate the rules or get fired," Stacey told Erin Burnett following the Comey indictment.

The New York Times, Sept. 26, 2025

"Ms. Young added: 'I can’t think of a clearer or more egregious example of a president trampling over institutional norms and constitutional requirements,' referring to Mr. Comey’s indictment."

NOTUS, Sept. 23, 2025

Stacey Young, a former DOJ lawyer who now runs a group called Justice Connection to support prosecutors who believe they’ve been punished by the Trump administration, told NOTUS there is a need for “vigorous congressional oversight of the Justice Department now more than ever.”

Democracy Docket, Sept. 22, 2025

“​​I don’t think Siebert will be the last one to be fired,” Stacey Young told Democracy Docket. “Every prosecutor in the DOJ now understands that if there’s a case where they don’t think they will have enough evidence to convict one of the president’s enemies, they’ll probably be fired too."

NPR, Sept. 22, 2025

"This attorney general sent a memo on Day 1 that made it clear that Justice Department lawyers were the president's lawyers, and we are now seeing how that's playing out and how dangerous it is — how it disintegrates the rule of law," Stacey Young said of AG Pam Bondi.

CBS Evening News, Sept. 22, 2025

"The president said the quiet part out loud when he directed DOJ to pursue his enemies this weekend, and that is antithetical to the rule of law," Stacey Young told Scott MacFarlane.

Reuters, Sept. 16, 2025

"There are no checks on the immeasurable power of the Justice Department right now," said Stacey Young. "There's very little that anybody can do to control the leaders of the department."

Above The Law, Sept. 10, 2025

"Ed Martin, decided for reasons that remain unclear to post a picture of himself with comedian Russell Brand...Brand is currently facing sexual assault charges...Stacey Young left the Dept...and is deeply concerned about the new direction of the DOJ, as exemplified by her post on LinkedIn."

HuffPost, Sept. 9, 2025

"Stacey Young, a fmr federal attorney who stepped down from DOJ amid a series of resignations and firings during the early months of Trump’s second term, slammed Martin on LinkedIn, calling him a ‘failed D.C. U.S. Attorney nominee.’"

The Times, Sept. 7, 2025

Jen Swedish: “This is not the neutral application of the law...you have political appointees identifying targets of investigations based on the president’s tweets. These are politically motivated investigations. he cart before the horse of this administration is appalling.”"

CBS News, Sept. 5, 2025

"'Congressional oversight of the Justice Department's unprecedented purge of career employees is desperately needed...employees at DOJ should never be fired simply because they were assigned by their leadership to work on a case disfavored by the President,' Young told CBS News."

MSNBC, Aug. 30, 2025

Stacey Young appears on "Weekends with Alex Witt" to discus what appears to be an escalation of President Trump’s retribution campaign against his perceived political enemies.

The Washington Post, Aug. 30, 2025

Stacey Young quote: "The administration identified seasoned and proven leaders they wanted out...firing them outright likely would’ve resulted in lawsuits and fanfare they wanted to avoid. So they hatched a more devious plan: Send them to a rubber room where they’d resign immediately, or wither and then give up."

Politico, Aug. 28, 2025

“'Some DOJ alumni who fear they may be targets of the president’s lawless retribution campaign have retained lawyers or sought security support as precautionary measures,' Stacey Young...told me. Young created the group to provide support to current and former DOJ lawyers who find themselves in the administration’s crosshairs for one reason or another."

ProPublica, Aug. 27, 2025

Jen Swedish, Justice Connection deputy director and former civil rights deputy chief who worked at the Justice Department for 15 years, called the administration's actions "cover for attacking higher ed."

Business Insider, Aug. 22, 2025

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stacey Young, the founder of Justice Connection and a former DOJ civil rights lawyer.

The New Yorker, Aug. 18, 2025

"Stacey Young, who left the D.O.J. in January and founded Justice Connection, a group that supports department employees, estimates that two hundred staffers have been dismissed or transferred to lesser positions."

Bloomberg, Aug. 14, 2025

Stacey Young: "The number of those [DOJ lawyers] who've been asked to take positions they believed were illegal or unethical is considerably higher than most people realize."

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart, Aug. 14, 2025

Michael Feinberg, Justice Connection Advisory Committee Member and former FBI Assistant Special Agent, joins Jon Stewart to discuss the weaponization of DOJ and FBI and the dismantling of the workforce.

Democracy Docket, Aug. 9, 2025

“'President Trump clearly does not want the best people leading our U.S. Attorney’s Offices — loyalty is the only requisite,' Stacey Young...told Democracy Docket."

MSNBC, Aug. 5, 2025

“'If an agency’s political leaders have antipathy toward diversity and inclusion, as we know the FBI’s do, it’s fair to assume they believe that women and people of color in top career positions got there because of identity,' said Stacey Young"

Bloomberg Law, Aug. 4, 2025

"'Hundreds of people have reached out to Justice Connection, the nonprofit group Stacey Young helped found to provide pro bono legal representation and other services. With an influx of former attorneys looking for jobs, the work is 'emotionally taxing' and intense to be involved in, but Young...said it 'feels good to be doing something important.'"

The Guardian, Aug. 4, 2025

“'These unprecedented firings at the justice department are growing exponentially,” Young told the Guardian. 'They happen with no notice and no opportunity to be heard, in violation of the Civil Service Reform Act and due process. Many people, and even their supervisors, have no idea why the firings targeted them or why now.'"

CBS News, Aug. 3, 2025

"'It's normally pretty rare for career DOJ attorneys to run for office. They actively steer clear of partisanship at the department,' said Stacey Young...'It makes perfect sense that for some, serving through elected office, outside the president's chain of command, is a viable alternative.'" Young added.

NPR, July 30, 2025

"The immigration courts are part of the Justice Department. And Deiss is one of more than 200 career civil servants in the department to lose their jobs this year, according to Justice Connection, a group that works to help current and former DOJ employees."

BBC, July 30, 2025

"Justice Connection, a group representing former federal prosecutors, published a letter signed by over 900 former justice department attorneys urging senators to 'rigorously examine' Mr Bove's time at the agency."

The Hill, July 29, 2025

“'A new whistleblower, whose disclosures have not been publicized, has strong evidence that Emil Bove was not truthful to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing for his nomination to serve on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals,' Peter Carr, a spokesperson for Justice Connection, said in a statement."

The Atlantic, July 29, 2025

"Feinberg found himself adopted by what he calls an 'exile community' of former Justice Department and FBI officials working to help one another adjust to post-government life. Many have found support in the organization Justice Connection."

The New York Times, July 29, 2025

Stacey Young quote: "Employees no longer see Congress as a viable option, faced with the prospect of being discounted or criticized...Mr. Grassley and other lawmakers have only contributed to the culture of fear that’s hindering meaningful transparency and accountability."

Bloomberg, July 24, 2025

"Stacey Young, a former DOJ attorney and executive director and founder of Justice Connection said these 'senseless terminations' are happening with no notice for the employees or, in most cases, their office leadership, leaving them 'scrambling to fill the large gaping holes in their caseload and office structure.'”

NBC News, July 24, 2025

"The new administration has fired roughly 200 Justice Department employees, according to Justice Connection...'The way in which these employees have been terminated seems like a pretty clear violation of the Civil Service Protection Act and general constitutional due process protections, and it's been destabilizing for the workforce...' said Stacey Young."

The NPR Politics Podcast, July 23, 2025

"'The Senate has a duty to thoroughly examine nominations to all judicial appointments. And by voting to confirm Emil Bove to a lifetime appointment, they would be doing more than placing someone problematic on the bench; they would be giving their stamp of approval on everything that has happened at DOJ over the last six months. And that is simply unacceptable,' said Stacey Young."

Boston Globe, July 22, 2025

The Washington Post, July 19, 2025

"The total number of lawyers, agents and support staff DOJ has fired since the administration began in January includes dozens more people, according to Justice Connection...the group estimates that more than 200 career employees have been fired across the department and its component agencies, which include the FBI and the ATF."

Financial Times, July 18, 2025

"'Under Bondi,' says Stacey Young...the department is 'focused on defending the president. If there are career employees who are perceived as not furthering that goal, they have been fired in large numbers and the department has really become a shell of its former self.'"

The Washington Post, July 17, 2025

"Ahead of the vote, more than 900 former DOJ attorneys signed a letter to the senators expressing alarm over Bove’s nomination. The attorneys accused Bove of ignoring constitutional principals and longtime DOJ norms as he fired employees and pursued legal strategies in the name of the president’s politics, citing his push to drop the Adams case."

MSNBC, July 17, 2025

"And yet I cannot recall such fierce and widespread opposition to a former prosecutor’s nomination — not just from a range of ideological backgrounds, not just from the legal community generally, but from more than 900 former Justice Department attorneys and former judges — until the nomination of Emil Bove."

ABC News, July 17, 2025

"More than 900 former Justice Department employees sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday urging lawmakers to vote down Bove's nomination. He has fired scores of one-time career officials at Main Justice and the FBI, including prosecutors who worked on former special counsel Jack Smith's investigations of Trump as well as the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob."

NPR, July 17, 2025

"'The rule of law is really only as strong as the institutions that enforce it and then interpret it — chief among them the DOJ and the judiciary,' said Stacey Young...'And it would be disgraceful to elevate someone who's degraded one of those institutions to a lifetime seat on the other.'"

Above the Law, July 16, 2025

"Almost 1000 lawyers informed the Senate that Emil Bove is not worthy of a federal judgeship."

CBC, July 16, 2025

"The letter was signed by officials who served from as far back as the Kennedy administration through the current Trump administration, and it was organized by Justice Connection, a new group launched to advocate on behalf of Justice Department workers."

The Hill, July 16, 2025

“'Emil Bove has been an architect and enforcer of many of the attacks on DOJ and its employees,' said Stacey Young, executive director and founder of Justice Connection, which organized the letter. 'His nomination to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals sent shockwaves across DOJ’s workforce, and should alarm all Americans concerned about the Department’s future and the survival of the rule of law.'"

Reuters, July 16, 2025

"'We are all alarmed by DOJ leadership's recent deviations from constitutional principles and institutional guardrails,' the former department employees wrote, adding that he had 'disgraced' the department. The letter was signed by officials who served from as far back as the Kennedy administration through the current Trump administration, and it was organized by Justice Connection."

HuffPost, July 16, 2025

“'It is intolerable to us that anyone who disgraces the Justice Department would be promoted to one of the highest courts in the land,' they wrote to senators...Stacey Young, executive director and founder of Justice Connection, which organized everyone signing onto the letter, said Bove has been 'an architect and enforcer' of many attacks on th DOJ and its staff."

The New York Times, July 16, 2025

“'Mr. Bove’s trampling over institutional norms in this case, and in others, sent shock waves through the ranks — cratering morale, triggering mass departures, and eroding the effectiveness of DOJ’s vital work,' the letter said. The letter was signed by 915 lawyers, according to Justice Connection...which organized it."

The New Yorker, July 10, 2025

Stacey Young, who resigned from the D.O.J. in January and founded Justice Connection, a group that supports Department employees, estimates that about two hundred people have been dismissed. According to Young, dozens more have been transferred to lesser positions; thousands have resigned.

The Washington Post, July 10, 2025

Stacey Young quote: “People are left baffled and then come up with theories about why they were fired. It’s not always obvious to them, or to even their direct supervisors, what the reason is. It’s wild. I can’t think of a more flagrant violation of civil service protection laws.”

CNN, June 25, 2025

"Justice Connection...released a video on Monday with statements from formal federal prosecutors warning the public of Bove’s alleged unlawful practices. 'We don’t bring charges or dismiss them based on political loyalties. Emil Bove asked us to base a prosecutorial decision not on the facts, not on the law, but on a political calculation,' [Ryan] Crosswell says in the video."

The New York Times, June 25, 2025

"Stacey Young...said confirming him [Emil Bove] only carried risks. His testimony 'proved again today why he is such a dangerous nominee,' she said. 'It’s possible to be smart, experienced and morally bankrupt. If you are No. 3, No. 1 and No. 2 can’t save you.'"

CNN, June 24, 2025

“'It’s unconscionable to even consider elevating someone to the judiciary who told DOJ lawyers that saying ‘F-you’ to courts was on the table,'” said Stacey Young."

MSNBC, June 24, 2025

According to a report by the New York Times, Reuveni said in meetings surrounding the use of the Alien Enemies Act by the administration to deport undocumented people, Bove proposed violating court orders, telling staff that the DOJ would need to consider telling courts “f— you.”

Talking Points Memo, June 24, 2025

"Justice Connection, a group of Department of Justice alumni, has also released a scathing video explaining why Bove is wildly unqualified for the bench."

CNN, June 24, 2025

Stacey Young quote: “Emil Bove is a principal architect of this administration’s project to bulldoze over the separation of powers and the rule of law. It should go without saying that anyone who believes court orders can be defied belongs nowhere near the federal bench."

NPR, June 23, 2025

"[Stacey Young] warns that turning attorneys into at-will employees would change the nature of the department entirely. 'It would demand a level of sycophancy that we have not seen since the 19th century,' she says."

The San Francisco Standard, June 23, 2025

"Stacey Young told The Standard that Dhillon’s agenda is 'the definition of politicization and weaponization...she made it clear that the division is going to focus on voter fraud, which is largely a political fiction.'"

NPR, June 21, 2025

"Under the Civil Service Reform Act, federal employees have strong job protections. There are steps the government must follow before taking any disciplinary action. They cannot be removed based on political whim. [Stacey] Young says this is for the good of the American people."

CBS Evening News, June 17, 2025

Stacey Young sat down with Scott MacFarlane to discuss the Justice Department's loss of 4,000 employees to the Trump administration's government downsizing initiative. "The department has suffered an irreparable loss through the thousands who've left through the deferred resignation program," said Stacey Young.

CBS News, June 17, 2025

"'The department has suffered an irreparable loss through the thousands who've left through the deferred resignation program,' said Stacey Young. 'Many of those who resigned wanted to stay, but they were told to take the offer or face termination,' she said."

Bloomberg Law, June 16, 2025

"Stacey Young said the number of resignations illustrates 'the reshaping of the Justice Department into President Trump’s image' and Trump’s preference for loyalty over career experience."

Law.com, June 5, 2025

Jen Swedish has joined Justice Connection as its deputy director. Justice Connection just launched a legal network to provide pro bono representation to current and recent DOJ employees facing federal employment-related actions, as well as criminal, congressional and other investigations related to their work with the department.

Bloomberg Law, June 4, 2025

"Stacey Young, founder and executive director of Justice Connection, said the pro bono representation network was part of her original idea when founding Justice Connection, after she realized there wouldn’t be enough federal sector lawyers and specialists to represent DOJ employees who need it."

Law360, June 4, 2025

"Justice Connection, a group founded by former U.S. Department of Justice attorneys in response to the Trump administration's ongoing purge of the department, has launched a pro bono legal network to represent DOJ attorneys being 'unfairly targeted' by the administration."

NOTUS, June 4, 2025

The network is made up of volunteers who are familiar with the ins and outs of the department and are willing to brave retribution from the White House.

Chicago Tribune, June 3, 2025

Stacey Young quote: "Targeting employers for DEIA initiatives isn’t something that’s contemplated by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act or the precedent that has evolved interpreting that statute. It’s a political stunt, and they’ve weaponized the civil rights division to advance it."

NBC News, May 28, 2025

Stacey Young quote: “Pardoning a sheriff who took cash for deputy badges is just the latest in a string of actions this president has taken to undermine any effort to hold officials accountable to the public they are sworn to serve."

Above The Law, May 19, 2025

"Stacey Young, a former division attorney who left in January, said, 'The Civil Rights Division exists to enforce civil rights laws that protect all Americans. It’s not an arm of the White House. It doesn’t exist to enact the president’s own agenda. That’s a perversion of the separation of powers and the role of an independent Justice Department.'"

Democracy Docket, May 22, 2025

"Stacey Young, the founder of Justice Connection and a former longtime attorney in the DOJ’s civil rights division, told Democracy Docket. 'They seem to be targeting the President’s political enemies, which is antithetical to how the rule of law must work.'"

NPR, May 19, 2025

"Grant talks to Stacey Young. Young is a former DOJ lawyer of 18 years who left the department in January. Since then, she started the group Justice Connection, which aims to help former DOJ employees fight back against an administration that's been weaponized against them."

Grant Hermes Podcast, May 16, 2025

Stacey Young said, "It's absolutely the dismantling of the [Civil Rights] Division when, in just a couple of months, you have radically diverted enforcement in a way that drives out almost three-quarters of the division. There's no other way to describe that but a dismantling."

NBC News, May 15, 2025

Stacey Young said, "The administration gutted the Public Integrity Section, neutered the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C., and is now shuttering the FBI’s pre-eminent federal public corruption squad. This isn’t what voters had in mind when they heard, ‘drain the swamp."

AP, May 14, 2025

“'He did not choose to investigate Mar-a-Lago; rather, the facts and evidence of a serious breach of law and national security led him there,' Peter Carr, a spokesman for Justice Connection, a network of Justice Department alumni, said on behalf of Bratt."

The Guardian, May 14, 2025

“'In addition to treating the civil rights division staff with complete disrespect, they’re also utterly incompetent,' said Stacey Young, who started Justice Connection. 'They drove people out and only after the fact seem to have realized that that was a terrible idea.'”

CNN, May 14, 2025

“'This administration and its proxies have made no effort to hide their willingness to weaponize the machinery of government against those they perceive as political enemies,' Justice Connection spokesman Peter Carr said in a statement to CNN. 'That should alarm every American who believes in the rule of law.'"

The Guardian, May 14, 2025

“'This administration and its proxies have made no effort to hide their willingness to weaponize the machinery of government against those they perceive as political enemies. That should alarm every American who believes in the rule of law,' said Peter Carr, a spokesman for Justice Connection."

The Marshall Project, May 14, 2025

Oneshia Herring, a Justice Connection advisory board member and former chair of the Department of Justice’s Association of Black Attorneys and a former attorney in the Civil Rights Division, said the administration’s selective enforcement of the law is “running against the very nature and spirit of which these laws were created.”

NPR, May 13, 2025

Stacey Young quote: "It's absolutely the dismantling of the division when, in just a couple of months, you have radically diverted enforcement in a way that drives out almost three-quarters of the division. There's no other way to describe that but a dismantling."

Democracy Docket, May 12, 2025

"The voting section of the U.S. Department of Justice has only three attorneys left on staff, according to an estimate provided by a group working to support the department’s remaining staff."

NBC News, May 9, 2025

"Stacey Young, a former DOJ lawyer who co-founded Justice Connection, a group dedicated to supporting current and former DOJ employees, said current and former DOJ and FBI officials remain concerned about Patel’s approach."

Associated Press, May 3, 2025

“'The Civil Rights Division is charged with ensuring that Americans have access to the polls and that their votes matter,' said Stacey Young. 'The division’s job is not to promote the politically expedient fiction that voting fraud is widespread.'"

The Guardian, May 1, 2025

"Stacey Young, a former civil rights division attorney who started the group Justice Connection, called Dhillon’s message 'sadistic.' 'I’ve never seen DoJ employees treated with the kind of malice from their own government, like we’re seeing now.'"

MSNBC, Apr. 29, 2025

Justice Connection Founder Stacey Young joined Alicia Menendez on MSNBC's "Deadline: White House" to warn the American people about the devastating impact of losing 70% of Civil Rights Division attorneys.

The Washington Post, Apr. 29, 2025

“'For almost 70 years, the civil rights division has enforced laws that Congress passed to promote equality, dignity and fairness for all Americans,' said Stacey Young. 'By effectively purging the vast majority of the division’s lawyers, DOJ is grinding this work to a near halt.'”

Bloomberg, Apr. 28, 2025

“'I’ve never heard my former colleagues sound so defeated and scared for the future of their work, and also their own jobs. There’s enormous fear and anxiety about the division’s future,' Young said."

The Hill, Apr. 28, 2025

“'The impact is catastrophic. They are scaling back possibly, nearly all enforcement that they have been doing for decades on civil rights statutes they’re required to enforce,' said Stacey Young."

The New York Times, Apr. 28, 2025

“'With the reckless dismantling of the division,' Young said, 'we’ll see unchecked discrimination and constitutional violations in schools, housing, employment, voting, prisons, by police departments and in many other realms of our daily lives.'”

NBC, Apr. 24, 2025

“'This administration can’t claim to care about things like supporting crime victims, curbing gun violence, and reducing opioid deaths while slashing grants to entities that do the hard work to achieve these goals,' said Stacey Young"

CBS News, Apr. 24, 2025

"Former Department of Justice Civil Rights Division official Stacey Young told CBS News, 'This administration can't claim to care about things like supporting crime victims, curbing gun violence, and reducing opioid deaths while slashing grants to entities that do the hard work to achieve these goals.'"

NBC News, Apr. 23, 2025

“'Every presidential administration has its own policy priorities,' said Stacey Young, who spent 18 years in the division before resigning in January, 'but I don’t think there’s any precedent for an administration almost completely refocusing the civil rights division’s enforcement priorities the way this one has.'"

The Wall St. Journal, Apr. 15, 2025

"Stacey Young, a former DOJ lawyer who worked with Reuveni, said she knew him to be one of the government’s most zealous advocates, even when defending unpopular policies. 'But he’d never shirk his ethical responsibilities and commitment to the rule of law, and the fact that DOJ attorneys now seem to be expected to do so is appalling,' said Young."

Reuters, Apr. 15, 2025

Featured quote from Stacey Young: "The new policy represents another unwarranted attack on DOJ employees - one that stifles their free speech in their private lives and creates new ways for the administration to oust career public servants who don't toe the party line."

The Washington Post, Apr. 10, 2025

Google wrongly labeled Justice Connection's Fox News ad as "misinformation” and removed our YouTube page. Google denied our appeal with no explanation until The Washington Post reached out for comment.

Justice Connection, Apr. 9, 2025

Justice Connection founder and executive director Stacey Young testified about ongoing attacks on the Justice Department’s workforce before members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees in a hearing on “Restoring Accountability: Exposing Trump’s Attacks on the Rule of Law.”

Talking Feds Podcast, Apr. 8, 2025

Justice Connection's Stacey Young joins Talking Feds Podcast alongside reporters Devlin Barrett and Evan Perez to discuss the current state of the DOJ's workforce under the new Administration.

NBC News, Apr. 7, 2025

"Democratic members of Congress are set to spotlight Justice Department employees who resigned or were fired in recent months. Also at the hearing will be Stacey Young, a Justice Department veteran who launched the group Justice Connection to support department employees who were fired or resigned."

The New York Times, Apr. 7, 2025

"'Justice Department attorneys are being put in an impossible position: Obey the president, or uphold their ethical duty to the court and the Constitution,' said Stacey Young."

AP, Apr. 6, 2025

"Stacey Young, a former Justice Department lawyer and founder of Justice Connection, a network of department alumni that works to support employees, released a statement that defended Reuveni: 'We should all be grateful to DOJ lawyers who choose principle over politics and the rule of law over partisan loyalty.'"

NBC News, Apr. 5, 2025

"The head of Justice Connection, a network of former Justice Department employees, defended Reuveni, saying in a statement that he has 'defended his clients with great skill and integrity — never as a loyalist or partisan, but because he believes in the rule of law.'"

NBC News, Apr. 2, 2025

“'The White House firing career prosecutors for doing their jobs is likely unprecedented,' Young told NBC News. 'It’s also the very weaponization this administration pretends to oppose.'”

AP, Mar. 31, 2025

Quote from Justice Connection's Stacey Young: "The integrity of our legal system and the independence of DOJ requires that laws are enforced impartially, which cannot happen when the White House fires career prosecutors to advance a political agenda."

Reuters, Mar. 27, 2025

"'Gutting DOJ and merging ATF and DEA weakens law enforcement’s ability to combat gun violence, the fentanyl epidemic, and generally keep American communities secure and healthy,' said Stacey Young, founder and executive director of Justice Connection."

ABA Journal, Mar. 25, 2025

ABA on formation of Justice Connection: "The goal is to have an 'army of alumni from the largest law firm in the world' prepared to help DOJ employees through the complex federal employment appeals process when they are fired, demoted or face other related issues."

Axios, Mar. 25, 2025

Axios featured Justice Connection's mental health resources, including its provider list provided to DOJ employees, in a story about therapists offering free mental health support to federal employees.

CBS, Mar. 11, 2025

Stacey Young sat down with Scott MacFarlane at CBS News to discuss the dangerous attacks on DOJ employees. Cuts of the interview aired on three CBS News shows and on CNN.

Justice Connection, Mar. 10-11, 2025

Our open letter in support of DOJ prosecutors was covered by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Associated Press, ABC, CBS, Axios, and others.

Bloomberg Law, Feb. 24, 2025

"Justice Connection, was launched as mass layoffs and leadership shakeups have rocked the federal workforce since President Donald Trump took office."

Bloomberg Law, Feb. 16, 2025

“'Transferring the authority over ethics and employee discipline from a career stalwart like Brad Weinsheimer to partisan loyalists could further expose employees to political retribution, and exacerbate the culture of fear at the Department,' said Stacey Young, who resigned after 18 years as a DOJ attorney Jan. 31 to launch Justice Connection."

Politico, February 08, 2025

"Hundreds of DOJ alumni have approached Justice Connection, a new group formed to support former and current department employees, in its first week of operation. The organization aims to link agents, prosecutors, litigators and Trump administration targets across Justice Department components with legal representation, physical security and cybersecurity support, and it has made dozens of such connections so far."

NPR, Feb. 6, 2025

"A veteran Justice Department lawyer has left the agency and is starting a new group to help advise and defend government lawyers under attack from the new administration."

The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 5, 2025

"Trump administration officials have 'declared war on their own workforce,' said Stacey Young, a litigator in the Justice Department’s civil rights division who resigned last month and set up an outside group, Justice Connection, to help employees navigate the workplace confusion."

The New York Times, Jan. 31, 2025

"The group, Justice Connection, intends to support employees who say they are facing professional and ethical crises under the new administration."

House Committee on the Judiciary, Jan. 31, 2025

Stacey Young, Founder and Executive Director of Justice Connection, delivers opening remarks at the Democratic briefing, titled "Rights, Resources, and Recourses for DOJ Employees Targeted by the Trump Administration."

House Committee on the Judiciary, Jan. 31, 2025

Justice Connection's founder provides statement to the House Committee on the Judiciary during the Democratic briefing, titled "Rights, Resources, and Recourses for DOJ Employees Targeted by the Trump Administration."

The New York Times, Jan. 12, 2025

Justice Connection's Executive Director, Stacey Young, publishes a call to action in The New York Times days before the inauguration.