DC Bar files ethics charges against DOJ official Ed Martin over Georgetown letter

The DC Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed a formal ethics complaint against Ed Martin, the DOJ Pardon Attorney and former interim U.S. Attorney for D.C., on March 10, 2026. The complaint alleged Martin violated professional conduct rules when he sent Georgetown Law a letter threatening to bar its students from DOJ fellowships unless the school abandoned DEI programs — coercing the school to relinquish First Amendment rights to obtain a government benefit. Martin had also reportedly attempted to evade the disciplinary office by ignoring its correspondence.