Having household ties to members of the Trump administration doesn’t assure political success—simply ask Brad Bondi, the brother of Legal professional Common Pam Bondi, who suffered a crushing defeat Monday within the race to guide the D.C. Bar, signaling a significant rejection of Trump-aligned candidates within the authorized neighborhood.
Attorneys in Washington, D.C., overwhelmingly selected employment legislation lawyer Diane Seltzer as the subsequent bar president, with greater than 90% of the 38,636 votes in her favor. Seltzer, principal of the Seltzer Regulation Agency, secured 34,982 votes to Bondi’s mere 3,490. She is going to take workplace on July 1.
The landslide victory is extensively thought-about a rebuke of the Trump administration’s escalating battle with attorneys, which has brought on a rift amongst legislation companies throughout the nation.
“Right now, we are in a time of governmental chaos, and our members don’t feel safe to practice law,” Seltzer stated throughout a digital debate with Bondi final month.
She additionally vowed to “make sure that we maintain and uphold the rule of law, and that people feel they can practice law safely without worrying about executive orders, or without being targeted in any possible way by the government.”
A cartoon by Clay Bennett.
“We’ve got to make sure that we hang on to the rule of law and that we can practice law safely, that we can represent who we want without worrying about retaliation, and that judges can issue fair and impartial rulings without worrying about being intimidated or retaliated against,” she stated.
Conservative lawyer and anti-MAGA activist George Conway had additionally weighed in, urging D.C. Bar members to vote towards Bondi.
“I’m not admitted in D.C., but I have a request of those of you who are… Vote against Brad Bondi,” he wrote on Instagram. “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t hold the views or conduct of someone’s relative against them… But these are not ordinary times. The Department of Justice under Pam Bondi has engaged in a full-scale assault on our Constitution and on the rule of law.”
D.C. Bar CEO Robert Spangnoletti instructed reporters that this yr’s voter turnout was historic. The typical variety of ballots solid previously 50 years hovered round 7,444. However this yr’s election, he stated, drew almost 39,000 votes, representing 43.26% of all eligible members. Voting started on April 15 and ended on June 4.
The excessive engagement got here amid President Donald Trump’s ongoing assaults on judges who’ve dominated towards his insurance policies, in addition to legislation companies representing shoppers he dislikes. In March, he launched a retribution marketing campaign concentrating on outstanding companies by revoking their safety clearances and canceling authorities contracts.
And the fallout has divided legislation companies, with some agreeing to professional bono work to remain in favor—usually to their detriment—whereas others sued to problem Trump’s govt orders.
Bondi lamented the tone of the race in a LinkedIn publish on Monday.
“I had hoped this race would be a contest of ideas to enhance services for our widely varied members,” he wrote. “Instead, I am disgusted by how rabid partisans lurched this election into the political gutter, turning a professional campaign into baseless attacks, identity politics, and partisan recrimination.”
Echoing the Trump playbook, Bondi additionally accused Seltzer of “smearing” him for his ties to his sister and “peddling conspiracies” about his intentions.
Although the D.C. Bar doesn’t deal with lawyer self-discipline, Trump critics raised alarms in March, warning of a takeover try by Trump loyalists, together with Bondi and Alicia Lengthy, a prosecutor aligned with failed U.S. lawyer nominee Ed Martin. Lengthy was defeated in her bid for D.C. Bar treasurer, falling to Amanda Molina by a margin of 8,854 to 26,380 votes.
However Bondi’s loss suits a rising sample of political setbacks for Trump-associated kin. Vice President JD Vance’s brother was soundly defeated in a Cincinnati mayoral major in Could.
If these elections are any indication, Republicans banking on their names alone could also be in for a impolite awakening in 2026.
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