❓WHAT HAPPENED: Ethics charges have been filed by the D.C. Bar against U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Pardon Attorney Ed Martin for sending a letter, while serving as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, to Georgetown University Law Center regarding its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ed Martin, the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Georgetown University Law Center, and the Department of Justice.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The letter was sent on February 17, 2025, while Martin was serving as interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C.; the ethics charges were made public on March 10, 2026.
💬KEY QUOTE: “He demanded that Georgetown Law relinquish its free speech and religious rights in order to obtain a benefit, employment opportunities for its students.” – D.C. Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton “Phil” Fox
🎯IMPACT: Martin’s letter was part of a broader push by the Trump administration to end discriminatory DEI policies among institutions receiving federal funding, while the ethics charges mark the latest partisan lawfare attack launched by the D.C. Bar.
The D.C. Bar‘s Office of Disciplinary Counsel, established to oversee misconduct allegations against attorneys in Washington, D.C., launched a new lawfare campaign targeting U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) pardon attorney Ed Martin. The charges stem from a letter Martin sent last year, while serving as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, to Georgetown University questioning its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and instructing staff to avoid hiring students from the institution.
In the February 17, 2025, letter, Martin informed Georgetown University administrators that a whistleblower had come forward detailing that the institution was continuing to impose DEI policies and programs despite an Executive Order signed by President Donald J. Trump barring recipients of federal funding from doing so. Notably, Georgetown relies on federal dollars for about ten percent of its revenue, or around $250 million per year.
“Acting in his official capacity and speaking on behalf of the government, he used coercion to punish or suppress a disfavored viewpoint, the teaching and promotion of DEI,” the D.C. Bar’s disciplinary counsel, Hamilton “Phil” Fox, alleges in court filings. Fox continues, “He demanded that Georgetown Law relinquish its free speech and religious rights in order to obtain a benefit, employment opportunities for its students.”
In response to the disciplinary filings, the DOJ blasted the continued lawfare efforts by the Democrat-aligned organization, stating, “The D.C. Bar’s attempt to target and punish those serving President Trump while refusing to investigate or act against actual ethical violations that were committed by Biden and Obama administration attorneys is a clear indication of this partisan organization’s agenda.”
The National Pulse previously reported in September 2024 that a federal appellate court upheld the D.C. Bar’s decision to disbar Trump ally and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Likewise, the organization in July of last year recommended that the now former Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Director Jeff Clark be disbarred over an unpublished letter outlining legal paths for certain lawmakers to challenge the 2024 election results. At the time the letter was written, Clark was serving as Assistant Attorney General at the DOJ.
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