The Daily Fuckup

The Justice Department went to federal court on May 13, 2026, seeking to stop the D.C. disciplinary case against Jeffrey Clark from moving forward as applied to him. The complaint names D.C. Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton P. Fox III, the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, and the D.C. Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility. DOJ says the bar proceeding improperly targets the official acts of federal lawyers and rests on internal executive-branch deliberations tied to possible fraud in the 2020 presidential election. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-complaint-against-dc-bar-disciplinary-authorities-over-their))

In its press release, the department said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward filed the complaint. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called the D.C. Bar a “blatantly partisan” actor, while the department framed the case as part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to curb what it calls weaponization of the legal system. Those are DOJ’s claims, not a court ruling, and the filing itself does not resolve Clark’s discipline case. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-complaint-against-dc-bar-disciplinary-authorities-over-their))

Clark’s underlying disciplinary case centers on his efforts in late 2020 to push a draft Justice Department letter to Georgia officials about election-related concerns. The hearing committee report says the respondent was charged with attempted dishonesty and attempted serious interference with the administration of justice, and it explicitly warns that the report is not a final order of discipline. DOJ’s new lawsuit does not change that posture; it asks a federal court to intervene before the bar process reaches its end. ([dcbar.org](https://www.dcbar.org/ServeFile/GetDisciplinaryActionFile?fileName=HCJeffreyBClark22BD039.pdf))

The practical question now is whether a federal judge will let the D.C. discipline system keep using material drawn from internal government deliberations in a case against a former Justice Department official. DOJ says that kind of probe is improper and constitutionally impermissible. The bar system has not yet been ordered to stop, and Clark’s case remains active unless and until a court says otherwise. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-complaint-against-dc-bar-disciplinary-authorities-over-their))