Trump Administration Loses Over 10,000 Federal Lawyers in Recent Staffing Crisis

By Jim Thomas | Sunday, 31 May 2026 02:36 PM EDT
More than 10,000 federal lawyers have left government employment since President Donald Trump returned to office, representing a 17% decline that has significantly reduced legal staff across major federal agencies.
Democrat state attorneys general and advocacy groups have absorbed many of these displaced professionals.
The federal civilian legal workforce totaled approximately 37,000 at the end of March, reflecting a 17% reduction compared to the end of 2024, according to Office of Personnel Management data.
Federal agencies added about 3,200 attorneys since January 2025, but departures have consistently exceeded new hires at a rate faster than turnover in the broader civilian workforce.
The Justice Department, which employs over a quarter of all federal lawyers, saw a loss of roughly 2,665 attorneys — a decline of 21%.
Other agencies experienced steeper reductions: Education (-53%), Housing and Urban Development (-40%), Interior (-27%), Labor (-27%), and the Environmental Protection Agency (-25%).
The Department of Homeland Security was the only major agency to gain legal personnel, increasing its staff by 21% to bolster immigration enforcement initiatives.
Some agencies are now actively recruiting to address staffing gaps.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated on April 28 to the Senate Appropriations committee that her department is “bringing back lawyers” to resolve a backlog of approximately 19,000 civil rights complaints inherited from the Biden administration.
The White House’s fiscal year 2027 budget request includes a proposed 35% reduction in funding for the Office for Civil Rights — amounting to $49 million.
The Justice Department has relaxed hiring requirements for certain positions, and the Office of Personnel Management recently established a legal talent recruitment network that has attracted interest from about 300 individuals.
This exodus intensified this month with the sudden resignation of Treasury General Counsel Brian Morrissey on May 18. His departure followed hours after the Justice Department announced a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” linked to the settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax records.
Morrissey, a former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, had served less than seven months after his Senate confirmation.
The settlement has drawn judicial scrutiny. U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams, an Obama appointee in Florida, reopened the IRS case Friday after 35 former federal judges argued that the dismissal was “premised on deception” and the settlement was “collusive.” She ordered Trump’s legal team to respond by June 12. Separately, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, temporarily blocked transfers, claims processing, or payments from the fund pending a June 12 hearing.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a former Justice Department official, reported that his office has hired 22 federal lawyers in the past year.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stated in a press release that the administration “remains totally dedicated to empowering and hiring hard-working Americans who are committed to public service.”