Legal war on Trump's agenda gains firepower as federal lawyers defect to Democrats

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.

Even those whose names don't directly appear on filings can help Democratic attorneys general challenge major pieces of Trump's agenda and defend state-level policies contrary to the president's interests.

"I'm really proud to be part of this [attorney general] - and, of course, Democratic [attorney general] - coalition that is doing the work every single day to protect our rights, and most importantly, the rule of law," Massachusetts state Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said at a press conference in June 2025. "We can't take our sight off of that."

California's attorney general, meanwhile, called the cross-state collaboration "critical."

Many of the lawyers leaving federal service are taking one, or even two, decades of service with them, constituting a significant transfer of legal talent from the national government to Democratic states.

They were far from the only high-profile departure under the second Trump administration.

"Experienced federal prosecutors and lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice are choosing state service, choosing Oregon, and choosing to fight for the people here," Rayfield added. "We're fortunate to have them joining the already incredibly talented, proven team here at the Oregon Department of Justice."

A spokeswoman for New Jersey's attorney general, meanwhile, told Fox News Digital that it recently added multiple members to its leadership team, including its new insurance fraud head, by recruiting federal lawyers. 

The timing marks a notable change from the first Trump administration, when some of the same attorneys who have since left then remained in federal service, though the reasons for individual departures vary and are not always publicly known.

"In the Trump era, the conservative movement has become much less able to attract competent elites. Education polarization is a long-term phenomenon, but Trump's populist style and policy platform has supercharged it, given his disproportionate appeal to the less educated," political commentator Richard Hanania told Fox News Digital. "This matters, because intelligence and experience are important for any administration trying to achieve its goals."

"Simply having people who agree with you isn't enough," he added.

The Trump administration, however, denies that its efficiency has been rocked by the mass exit of lawyers.

"These achievements are nothing short of astonishing, and they have all been accomplished even with the supposed 'exodus' of anti-Trump prosecutors the media idolize," she added.

The White House referred Fox News Digital to a Truth Social post written by President Donald Trump where he claims that many of the lawyers who have departed from his administration were "Radical Left Deep State Lunatics, who are destroying our Country, and Weaponizing Government."

"This has allowed DOJ to run more efficiently and hire talented attorneys who wholeheartedly believe in our mission to keep the American people safe," the spokeswoman said.

Fox News Digital reached out to every Democratic state attorney general's office for comment.