Ben Penn

Check out my profile of Aakash Singh, the 33-year-old DOJ bro who relishes clamping down on top prosecutors' autonomy, warning them Trump is their 'chief client' news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/in…

Great deep dive in NY Times today on DOJ's aggressive push to charge protesters, including some lively new anecdotes on Aakash Singh's role steering the administration's most controversial prosecutions nytimes.com/2026/03/19/us/…

New: For 1st time under Trump phenomenon of judges not extending term-expired interim US attorneys, it’s now happened in a red district - to Utah’s Melissa Holyoak - & to someone about to get Senate confirmed news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/ju…

Best time to graduate from law school that I can recall if you are remotely right-wing. You can go straight from law school into DOJ. You'd be a fool not to go for it

The Trump administration’s deportation agenda is getting pivotal support from a lesser-known official managing the more than 600 immigration judges deciding migrants’ fates. My latest for @BLaw: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/un…

UPDATE: DOJ's March 13 memo to US attorneys' offices specified that hiring policy suspension in effect thru Feb. '27 & "was implemented due to an exigent hiring need for attorneys across the Department.”

DOJ spox: “Under the leadership of" AG Bondi & DAG Blanche, this DOJ "is proud to empower young & passionate prosecutors & offer attys at every level the opportunity to invest their talents into keeping their communities safe, including from the predators" welcomed by Biden admin

SCOOP: DOJ has waived policy requiring newly hired prosecutors to have least a year (more often 3 years) experience practicing law. As DOJ struggles to replace mass departures w/ qualified applicants, this move allows hiring straight out of law school. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/do…

At the ABA conference, Ghislaine Maxwell and Nicolas Maduro’s lawyers discussed their high-profile clients & the hate mail they get. Maxwell’s lawyer said he recently received a note from a sender w/ the address “Todd Blanche sucks at gmail dot com.” politico.com/news/2026/03/1…

@benjaminpenn I asked the ABA lawyers to have a civil and respectful conversations. Sadly some former federal prosecutors responded with anger and personal attacks reflecting their extreme left wing bias. Just the type of lawyers who should never be in a position of power.

Trump defense lawyer John Lauro faced testy pushback from co-panelists & DOJ alums attending ABA conference. Lauro praised Trump DOJ for being in a "better place" now that Jack Smith isn't victimizing the president. "You're a clown," someone yelled. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/tr…

JUST IN: The US District Court for the Western District of Virginia announced Friday that it will not extend the acting US attorney’s term, making it the latest court to withhold approval of a prosecutor installed by the Trump administration. For @BLaw: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/ju…

Judges at conference discussed how they're dealing w/ possible Trump admin defiance of orders and heightened threats to safety, @benjaminpenn reports DOJ complained of judicial partisanship and "innuendo ... designed to thrill a crowd and chill advocacy" news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/ju…

Major tone shift at ABA white collar conference boycotted by Trump DOJ: Big Law leaders took turns teeing off on diminished state of corporate enforcement & politicized prosecutions, as judges start trusting defense counsel more than gov't. My dispatch: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/de…

There we have it - DOJ lawyer says he’s resigning over his AI-created fabricated quotes, as judge scolds him at hearing, @kylejahner reports from Raleigh courthouse news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/doj-law…

This show cause hearing is set to begin in Raleigh at top of the hour. A federal magistrate judge wants to know why the AUSA shouldn’t be sanctioned and why the office doesn’t share responsibility for false quotes. I’d expect AI generated legal filings to come up.

JUST IN: Voting machine co. Smartmatic asks judge to dismiss its foreign bribery indictment due to vindictive & selective prosecution stemming from animus over 2020 election - the latest Trump foe to seek review of what motivated a DOJ charging decision news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/sm…

Retired Air Force colonel & staff judge advocate Derence Fivehouse emails to say he hopes to learn whether the fabricated "language originated with the signing attorney or was incorporated from another source. That question deserves a clear answer.”

Story is updated to note that pro se plaintiff Derence Fivehouse appears to be a retired colonel and former Air Force attorney.

NEWS: A Justice Dept. line attorney in North Carolina fabricated quotes in court filing, causing judge to order hearing to consider sanctions and holding entire US attorney’s office jointly responsible. Pro se defendant flagged the errors. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/fe…