Thousands of career lawyers have resigned or been fired from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) since President Donald Trump returned to office, with former officials warning that political interference is fundamentally reshaping the agency. Ex-prosecutors and a former immigration judge described a department increasingly expected to act as the president's legal arm, citing a memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi directing staff to function as the president's lawyers — a directive several said was incompatible with their duty to uphold the rule of law impartially. The departures are also deterring future talent, with law students across the country telling journalists they are unwilling to join a department they now associate with politically motivated legal work and due-process violations, raising concerns about the DOJ's ability to recover its reputation for independence.