Stacey Young worked at DOJ for 18 years before leaving just days into the second Trump administration on January 24, 2025. She served in the Civil Division and in the Civil Rights Division under five presidential administrations and seven Attorneys General.
After she left, and as the early concerns about DOJ exploded into reality, she founded an organization called The Justice Connection. The focus was on supporting the non-political professional employees at DOJ who represent the American people without regard to who holds the White House. She explained why on the group’s website: “Our justice system is under attack like never before. Justice Connection is a network of Department of Justice alumni mobilizing to support DOJ’s apolitical workforce — and the democratic norms that protect us all.”
You can’t have a Justice Department without a professional, apolitical career workforce, fueled by dedicated experts in their fields. We’ve all seen how this administration abuses career people and damages the institution, which operates as a threat to the rights and safety of every American. As Justice Connection celebrates its first anniversary, I asked Stacey to join us and reflect on what they’ve been able to accomplish and the work ahead of us. The Justice Department without its people is just a series of empty buildings. It’s important to appreciate how critical it is to support the people who are trying to stick it out and the ones we will need to return to restore the Department when this is over.
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