Dear Muneer,
Lawyers Defending American Democracy has filed an ethics complaint against Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, with the Attorney Grievance Committee for the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
The detailed complaint alleges ethical violations in seven high-profile criminal cases that were committed by Ms. Pirro in her individual capacity and as a manager and supervisor of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. According to the allegations set forth, Ms. Pirro’s conduct in these cases warrant investigation and appropriate discipline under the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, noting specifically the special responsibilities of prosecutors, the allegations of managerial and supervisory misconduct, and the harm caused to the administration of justice. In addition, the complaint alleges that Ms. Pirro violated the New York Rules of Professional Conduct by making improper public statements regarding the subject of a criminal investigation, the defendant in a prosecution, and judges.
At a time when judges are under ongoing attack by the administration for decisions it does not like, and when the Department of Justice can no longer be counted on to protect the public interest, the role of state disciplinary authorities has become even more critical. Every state has in place a system to ensure that attorneys comply with the applicable Code of Professional Conduct in that state, and those rules apply to all lawyers. These rules protect the public by ensuring that lawyers adhere to the highest standards, and when they do not, an investigation and possible sanctions are the appropriate response.
LDAD recently had several opportunities to be interviewed on the MeidasTouch network, Legal AF, to discuss the critical issues facing our justice system. In these conversations, we discussed our deep concerns about the current Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, as detailed in another recent ethics complaint. We also highlighted the significant court ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams, rebuking the conflict-ridden handling of the President’s lawsuit against the IRS and rejecting the DOJ's purported “settlement” because the litigation failed to present a case or controversy between genuinely adverse parties. Please see:
LDAD on Legal AF's The Intersection with Michael Popok
LDAD joins Court Accountability Action's Somil Trivedi on Legal AF
LDAD joins Legal AF’s The Breakdown with Melba Pearson
We also appreciated the opportunity to address these issues on Legal Talk Network’s Lawyer 2 Lawyer with J. Craig Williams. Please see:
Lawyers: Defending the Constitution & Fighting for our Democracy
We hope you will listen to these interviews to learn more about the work of LDAD. Please help us protect the rule of law and the freedoms we hold dear by volunteering for our Meeting the Moment initiative and donating to our work.
Thank you,
Lawyers Defending American Democracy
