DOJ's Ed Martin faces ethics charges over threatening letter to Georgetown

Politics DOJ's Ed Martin faces ethics charges from disciplinary office over threatening letter to Georgetown University By Sarah N. Lynch Sarah N. Lynch Senior Justice Department Reporter Sarah N. Lynch is the senior Justice Department reporter for CBS News, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Sarah N. Lynch March 10, 2026 / 9:38 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The office that polices attorney misconduct in Washington, D.C., has filed ethics charges against Justice Department pardon attorney Ed Martin , after Martin last year sent a threatening letter to the Georgetown University Law Center that raised questions about its diversity and inclusion policies while he was serving as interim U.S. attorney, according to court filings made public Tuesday. In a Feb. 17 letter to the law school, Martin told university officials that a whistleblower claimed Georgetown was teaching DEI and asked about the practice. Without waiting for a response, he told the school he was imposing sanctions by instructing his office staff not to employ any students from the school as fellows, interns or employees at the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C. In the filings, D.C. Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton "Phil" Fox of the D.C. Bar alleged that Martin's conduct as a government official violated the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution by making demands that the law school change what it teaches students and how it teaches them. "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 court filing says. "He demanded that Georgetown Law relinquish its free speech and religious rights in order to obtain a benefit, employment opportunities for its students." In a statement, the Justice Department accused the D.C. Bar of being a partisan organization. "The DC bar's attempt to target and punish those serving President Trump while refusing to inves...