Over the past year, we have seen an unprecedented purge of career DOJ lawyers whose only offense seems to have been doing their jobs—impartially and with integrity.

Join moderator Emily Bazelon, legal ethics expert Professor Bruce Green and former DOJ lawyers who have left during this turbulent period to discuss the state of attorney independence in the DOJ, and how those who have stayed face the difficult task of reconciling their professional obligations with adherence to legally questionable directives from Department Leadership.  

The program is presented in recognition of the 2026 International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, which since 2010 has sought to concentrate attention on the specific challenges faced by lawyers in particular countries. For 2026, the chosen country of focus is the United States. 

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Speakers:
Mary L. Dohrmann, Senior Counsel, Washington Litigation Group and former federal prosecutor
Bruce Green, Louis Stein Chair of Law; Director, Stein Center, Fordham Law School 
Troy (LT) Edwards, Former Deputy Chief of National Security, United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia
Sonia Mittal, Former Senior Counsel to the Capitol Siege Section, United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Clinical Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School
Joseph Tirrell, Former Director of the Department of Justice Departmental Ethics Office and Senior Ethics Counsel for Federal Employee Ethics at the Department of Justice

Moderator: 
Emily Bazelon, Senior Research Scholar in Law, Yale Law School; Staff Writer at The New York Times Magazine

Sponsoring Committee:
Independence of Lawyers and Judges Task Force,Matthew Diller, Chair

Cosponsoring Committee:
Rule of Law Task Force, Susan J. Kohlmann, Chair