Federal lawyers are leaving the Trump administration and landing in Democratic state attorneys general’s offices in large numbers as blue states ramp up their legal fight against the president's second-term agenda, a Fox News Digital review found.Employment data analyzed by the New York Times indicates that more than 10,000 federal attorneys — approximately one fifth of all lawyers employed by the federal government — have left their posts since 2025 began.Of these, a Fox News Digital review identified well over 100 who have since begun working for Democratic attorneys general’s offices, with legal filings showing that some of those lawyers are now involved in cases challenging the Trump administration.Fox News Digital reviewed public LinkedIn profiles, state staff directories, statements from public officials and court filings to identify attorneys who left federal service after January 2025 and later appeared in Democratic attorneys general's offices or relevant litigation records.
The review does not establish why any individual attorney left federal service or joined a state office.The true number of federal attorneys who have moved to Democratic attorneys general offices under the second Trump administration is likely higher, given that public LinkedIn accounts are not ubiquitous among federal workers.DEM AGS WARN FEDERAL WORKERS ABOUT TRUMP BUYOUT OFFER: 'AIMED AT DISMANTLING OUR FEDERAL WORKFORCE'President Donald Trump speaks alongside Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche during a news conference in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 27, 2025.Trump called it a "GIANT WIN" after the Supreme Court limited the power of lone federal judges to block executive actions.
(ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)"Oregon DOJ is a destination for some of the most talented public servants in the country, including experienced lawyers from the U.S.Department of Justice who are choosing to bring their skills to serve O...