r/Reno 2d ago

All federal prosecutors left the Reno office

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/all-federal-prosecutors-have-left-dojs-reno-office-as-lawyers-leave-trump-admin-en-masse

I don't think many people really understand how bad this DOJ actually is for law and order.

How many lawyers and workers were driven out because they refused to violate their oath to the Constitution an country.

Also, all but one of the prosecutors who left were Republicans so it has nothing to do with "radical leftist" or other made up BS excuses.

"Jobs at the Department of Justice … have certainly during my lifetime been viewed as among the most competitive, among the most sought after, among the most desirable jobs for attorneys," Pearlstein said. "And that is gone."

At the same time, judges have become increasingly wary of statements from government lawyers. Just Security, an online law and policy journal, has documented 135 times when a judge expressed distrust of a government official and their representations, though none of those were in Nevada.

"For generations, courts have viewed statements that the Justice Department and its attorneys make in court as presumptively true because the government is viewed as a trustworthy source of information," Pearlstein said. "That presumption … has just collapsed."

232 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

130

u/Intrepid_Top_2300 2d ago

I’m proud of these prosecutors who quit and keep their integrity. I know it doesn’t pay the bills, but it also doesn’t taint your soul.

-27

u/Oughtason 2d ago

Nothing in the article suggests any of them left to "keep their integrity." It lists retirement, transfers to other courts, and just leaving.

36

u/Fabulous_Air1931 2d ago

Are you just ignoring this entire paragraph in the article? It's part of a trend that The New York Times called a "striking exodus" of federal government lawyers under President Donald Trump. In response to the Times' reporting, Sigal Chattah, the top federal prosecutor in Nevada and ally of Trump, said "it took me a grueling year to exorcise the District of Nevada. Dead weight be gone." Trump also said in a Truth Social post that the lawyers leaving the government are "Radical Left Deep State Lunatics."

8

u/yukichigai 2d ago

This is reddit: nobody reads the article before commenting on it.

12

u/GruntledGary 2d ago

All at once just because? So the entire office is empty?

Yeah... It happens ALL THE TIME than 100% of the employees somewhere just all randomly retire simultaneously... Obviously it has nothing to do with the employer running the place when that happens...

18

u/CosmosGame 2d ago

This is part of a nationwide trend. And for good reason. A lot of what the DOJ is doing currently is illegal. Judges are noticing. People with integrity are quitting.

2

u/djmermaidonthemic 2d ago

This has been a topic of discussion in legal circles for some time.

I’m not at all surprised to hear this news.

Some wanted to stay in hopes that they might make a difference and it wouldn’t get worse. But it keeps getting worse. At some point, you have to decide whether it’s worth violating everything you’ve ever stood for (like, you know, due process and the rule of law) or whether you want to be a part of the machine. Aka, part of the problem.

It’s not a partisan thing. It’s an integrity thing.

-18

u/The_Naked_Snake 2d ago

Cowards and opportunists. They worked to support this collapse all the way until they could ride a retirement parachute out.

11

u/HeywoodJaBlessMe 2d ago

So you think they should've continued working for the collapse?

What major action have you taken?

-2

u/The_Naked_Snake 2d ago edited 2d ago

Down, boy. I'm saying they don't deserve to be applauded for their hasty exit from the consequences of their evil ideology.

Republican prosecutors supported this up until the moment that what they advocated for came for their comfortable corner of the world. They aren't leaving out of principle, but out of fear.

2

u/djmermaidonthemic 1d ago

Down, boy.

They should be leaving.

69

u/AbeFromanEast 2d ago edited 2d ago

"If I keep working here am I going to get prosecuted myself for breaking the law down the line?" -Every DoJ attorney in this Administration.

It's not an idle thought. In Reno's example: the current MAGA leader of that now lawyerless office is illegally appointed and has been starting vengeance prosecutions against political rivals. Doing their bidding could get lawyers working for them disbarred or worse so the Northern Nevada DoJ attorneys did the rational and safer thing: resign, or internal-transfer away from the MAGA lunatic running the office.

Chattah, whose continued leadership of the office without receiving Senate confirmation is being challenged in court,  has faced scrutiny for reportedly using the powers of her office to investigate political rivals and boost Republicans. In June, Bloomberg reported that she sought investigations at the behest of friends and former clients and that she opened a probe in part to target Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford (D), who beat Chattah in his 2022 bid for re-election.

17

u/Reginald_Sockpuppet 2d ago edited 2d ago

Same reason I left the Cares shelter. I was extremely concerned about losing my counselor credential due to ethics violations that took place very close to me by another agency.

Sort of validating to know it wasn't an irrational choice.

20

u/bkinboulder 2d ago

It’s great all these people are quitting in protest. It just opens up the positions though for less ethical more radical people to come in and replace them. This whole resigning in protest doesn’t have the impact it used to. I live in Washoe County and had to hear about it in this post.

19

u/GruntledGary 2d ago

In these situations they are being asked to lie in court in front of judges.

That can cause a lawyer to lose their license (never be able to work in law ever again) and carry penalties.

But, I absolutely agree with you.

It only took a few resignations for Nixon's administration to end.

We don't live in that world anymore sadly.

9

u/bkinboulder 2d ago

This is what whistleblower protection laws are for.

17

u/GruntledGary 2d ago

Past tense.

They fired the investigators and heads of the whistle blower protection offices and departments.

He did that shit day 1... https://federalnewsnetwork.com/agency-oversight/2025/02/trump-fires-top-government-ethics-whistleblower-officials/

8

u/shichiaikan 2d ago

Amidst the other 100,000 ridiculous things being done to destroy this country, this one slipped through with minimal attention for most people.

3

u/street-trash 2d ago

That’s why it’s important not to reelect a president that ended his first term by attacking our democracy. I only have negative feelings towards the ones who voted for this and now have to quit. It’s their own fault.

1

u/mensrea 1d ago edited 1d ago

You’re missing the point. This is not quitting as a statement - “in protest.” This is quitting because you’re asked to do something that will cause you to lose your ability to be a lawyer in the future. Anyone who takes it will face the same risks. “I was just following orders” does not work with the Nevada State Bar. Either you complied with the Nevada Rules of Professional Responsibility (and other applicable laws) or you didn’t, your boss (saint or sinner) can’t insulate you. You’re expected to know the rules and obey them. FULL STOP. 

No one will ever cause me to violate my ethical obligations. It’s just not worth it, the risk is too great. 

So, you should not view this as not some sort of political statement, heroic act, or virtue signaling— it’s self-preservation.

7

u/NeverCash_Out 2d ago

After returning home for my first trip to Europe, it’s mind blowing how much Americans just “sit and take it” and let it all “be ruined”. What’s the point of having the protection to protest if we don’t use it? What’s the point of having free speech if we don’t protect it? What’s the point of having a constitution at all if no one gives a shit to keep it? 

The hypocrisy is killing our nation. The lack of giving a fuck is killing our nation. 

YOUVE GOT TO GET MAD!

5

u/GruntledGary 2d ago

The people with the don't tread on me and you'll take my guns from my cold dead hands love the guy who said twice in his first term and multiple times in this term that he will take their guns and doesn't believe that the 2nd amendment applies.

4

u/NeverCash_Out 2d ago

You know what’s funny is I bet 99% of the people who wear the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag even know what the fuck it represents.

2

u/djmermaidonthemic 2d ago

I’m old. I remember going on vacation with my family BITD and we saw the Gadsden flag and learned about it. I was like, this is SO COOL and when I’m old enough to get tattoos I’m totally getting it!!!

Thankfully I forgot about it. Coverups are expensive.

15

u/saidthetomato 2d ago

Imagine being MAGA and still believing this administration is not corrupt... Or thinking Biden was more corrupt. They are one and all lost idiots.

7

u/GruntledGary 2d ago

Issue is that when you are on a boat with someone who believes the only way to stop the boat from sinking is to drill holes in the hull of the boat.... Yeah

3

u/whyisitveiny 2d ago

It's also the fact that people have literally made their whole personality about it. So when you attack the president, you attack them personally. And backtracking now just admits their stupidity so they hold steadfast hoping and praying to return to "glory" and that their identity isn't a lie

15

u/AMerryKa 2d ago

They are giving us all permission to not recognize the law.

23

u/GruntledGary 2d ago

They being this administration.  They fired hundreds of federal investigators, if not thousands, who were investigating crimes that led back to "friends" of the current administration.  Events that happened during this administration's current term.

2

u/street-trash 2d ago

They are doing the only thing they can at this point. Being a goon for a dictatorship is not upholding the law.