How has Trump's second term transformed the Justice Department?

"It began on the first day of his second term, with instructions to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to end the "weaponisation" of prosecutorial power. But with those first strokes of his pen, President Donald Trump instead launched a year of dramatic changes to the Justice Department, the government body responsible for enforcing federal law in the United States. Traditionally, the Department of Justice has cultivated an aura of "prosecutorial independence"."

"Though the department is part of the executive branch, its investigations and prosecutions are meant to be free from political taint, unswayed by the pressures of the presidency. But critics warn that Trump has corroded the longstanding barrier between the department and the White House, in order to leverage prosecutorial power for his own aims. The overriding story is the effort to turn the Justice Department into a political tool and make it an instrument for pursuing the president's political enemies,"

"Former employees have been among the loudest to sound the alarm against the erosion of the Justice Department's norms. It's been reckless and shocking and terrifying, said Stacey Young, who worked at the Justice Department for 18 years. Young resigned in January, only days into Trump's second term, anticipating attacks on the department's workforce. She has since founded Justice Connection, a watchdog organisation that advocates for former and current Justice Department employees."

President Donald Trump issued directives on his first day of the second term aimed at ending the 'weaponisation' of prosecutorial power, then enacted broad changes at the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice traditionally maintained prosecutorial independence despite being part of the executive branch. Critics say barriers between the White House and the DOJ were weakened to allow leverage of prosecutorial power for political ends. Former DOJ employees publicly warned of norm erosion, with some resigning and forming watchdog groups. Concerns center on transforming the DOJ into a political instrument to pursue the president's perceived enemies and undermining the rule of law.

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