The deference that judges have traditionally extended to lawyers representing the Department of Justice (DOJ) has quickly evaporated under Donald Trump and his Attorney General Pam Bondi.
According to a report from the Washington Post, it has become a common occurrence for DOJ lawyers to be admonished byjudges over specious claims, "shoddy work" and their inability to answer simple questions from the bench.
As former federal Judge John E. Jones III, appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, put it the “deference that judges would give to attorneys from Main Justice is evaporating,” and they have “lost a fair measure of their credibility.”
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According to the Post's Mark Berman and Jeremy Roebuck, Lawyers defending Trump administration policies are "encountering mounting criticism and frustration from federal judges, a sign of deepening tension between the executive branch and courts weighing its aggressive uses of power," adding the example of U.S. District Judge John D. Bates berating a DOJ lawyer with "Oh, come on," during a hearing this past week.
Noting that Trump told ABC News this past week, “We’re not being treated fairly by all judges,” the Post report pointed out that "the pushback from the bench has come from judges appointed by Republican as well as Democratic presidents — including by Trump himself — suggesting the issue is more about the Justice Department’s evidence and court arguments than judicial activism."
The report goes on to note that frustrated judges "have criticized the statements and behavior of administration officials, accusing them of defying court orders, submitting flimsy evidence, providing inadequate answers to questions and even acting like toddlers."
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