Mar. 14, 2026 at 12:50am
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A typically collegial white collar legal conference in San Diego turned tense when one of former President Donald Trump’s defense attorneys, John Lauro, faced incredulous and at times rancorous pushback for praising the Trump-era Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi. Lauro’s co-panelists, which included veteran DOJ officials and a former judge, described a constitutional crisis playing out at the department, but Lauro said the DOJ is “in a better place” than a year ago.
Why it matters
The exchange highlights the deep divisions within the legal community over the state of the Justice Department and rule of law under the Trump administration. Lauro’s comments were seen by many as a defense of controversial actions taken by the DOJ during that time period.
The details
Lauro, who represented Trump in a 2020 election interference case, offered a starkly opposing view to his co-panelists at an American Bar Association-hosted discussion on threats to the rule of law. While Lauro praised the current state of the DOJ, the other panelists described a constitutional crisis unfolding at the department under Bondi’s leadership.
- The ABA-hosted discussion took place on Friday, March 14, 2026 in San Diego, California.
The players
John Lauro
An attorney who represented former President Donald Trump in a 2020 election interference case.
Pam Bondi
The current Attorney General of the United States.
Jack Smith
The special counsel who led the 2020 election interference case against Trump.
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What they’re saying
“DOJ is ‘in a better place’ than a year ago”
— John Lauro, Trump’s defense attorney
The takeaway
The exchange at the ABA conference highlights the deep partisan divisions within the legal community over the state of the Justice Department and rule of law under the Trump administration. Lauro’s positive assessment of the DOJ under Bondi was seen by many as a defense of controversial actions taken by the department during that time period.
