DOJ Honors 2016-2017 Cycle: Application Status Tracker in the OP - Please update! Forum

[Anonymous User]

I want so much more information. I know we all do. I have a pending interview with another place that will cost me so much money to get to, and if DOJ is going to pan out, I'd love to know right about now before I commit to a flight/hotel. No, I'm not anxious. Why do you ask?

me too thanks

[Anonymous User]

Serious question: anyone else less excited about the prospect of working at a Trump DOJ? Hard to imagine what that would look like. I would love to hear from current DOJ folks to get a sense of how much things shift in terms of day-to-day for line attorneys.

[Anonymous User]

I'm seriously considering withdrawing. I don't know if I can bring myself to do it.

[Anonymous User]

I'm seriously considering withdrawing. I don't know if I can bring myself to do it.

I'm here as well.

[Anonymous User]

I'm a finalist. Thinking seriously about withdrawing, both for personal ethical/normative reasons and for practical ones--budget cuts? Hiring freezes? Known unknowns and unknown unknowns?

[Anonymous User]

I'm a finalist. Thinking seriously about withdrawing, both for personal ethical/normative reasons and for practical ones--budget cuts? Hiring freezes? Known unknowns and unknown unknowns?

Do you mind saying what you interviewed for?

[Anonymous User]

I'm seriously considering withdrawing. I don't know if I can bring myself to do it.

I'm here as well.

I'm still in shock. What would we be asked to enforce/justify?

[Anonymous User]

For those still in the pool, congratulations. I am not in the pool nor was I. However, you should each ask yourselves who you want to be and how you want to represent yourself professionally. Some will be fine in a Trump administration. But it is conceivable he follows through with some of his campaign rhetoric and you will be on the front line enforcing some crazy stuff.

[Anonymous User]

I'm a finalist. Thinking seriously about withdrawing, both for personal ethical/normative reasons and for practical ones--budget cuts? Hiring freezes? Known unknowns and unknown unknowns?

Do you mind saying what you interviewed for?

Bumping the real questions.

[Anonymous User]

I'm a finalist. Thinking seriously about withdrawing, both for personal ethical/normative reasons and for practical ones--budget cuts? Hiring freezes? Known unknowns and unknown unknowns?

Do you mind saying what you interviewed for?

Bumping the real questions.

OP finalist. I interviewed with a handful of components/branches, and I have an offer pending with one (and anticipate at least one more offer based on a couple of recent follow-up calls). I don't want to be too specific, but generally stuff on the civil side - and with one or two exceptions, positions that probably wouldn't directly involve carrying out the more concerning mandates of a Trump Administration. Still, I'm not sure whether I want to work, even indirectly, on behalf of this Administration, and I'm very concerned about the possibility of program defunding / offer revocations or reductions in force.

[Anonymous User]

I'm seriously considering withdrawing. I don't know if I can bring myself to do it.

I'm here as well.

I'm still in shock. What would we be asked to enforce/justify?

I started having this conversation with myself last night and just left my supervisor's office after asking for his advice. I am not yet decided, but I thought I'd share his thoughts with you. Before I do, I think this advice may differ somewhat based upon which divisions you have applied for and your responsibilities. Here is what you have to consider -- there will always be shifting political power and political appointments within the DOJ -- that is just how it works. Just look at some areas and the number of U.S. Attorneys have been there through the years. Yet, there are people in those offices who have worked for 20 or 30 years, underneath both parties. I do not think those people lack character; I think they wish to serve. They keep things together through all political turmoil and believe that their job is above politics. More importantly, it is their job to act as a front line -- to have the unenviable job of silently making sure the right thing is done no matter the political climate. Remember you swear to defend the Constitution, not a person or a party. Imagine what would happen if the entire federal legal establishment was made up of political appointees or if everyone who disagreed with the party in power quit. Just imagine, and I think you can recognize how important it is for those who disagree to continue working. I know for many people this election feels different, but in some ways that makes this argument more important. The DOJ includes people of both parties and of all ideologies, but what is special about the DOJ is that everyone is striving to do the right thing, not necessarily the political one. For that, I think there is reason to stay the course, to serve, and to look to the future.

[zot1]

Posting because I think some of you need a little bit of perspective. As an agency employee you are truly at the president's mercy and whom he appoints as your agency head.

In addition, all the good things about government work could go out the window pretty soon. Republicans AND Trump have voiced criticism of the government workforce over and over again. A hiring freeze could impact your offers because they can be withdrawn up until they're final. And no HR right now would be stupid enough to finalize offers until the political sphere clears up next year.

Even if you're hired, if there's a reduction in force, the less time with the agency, the more likely you are to go.

Plus, PSLF and retirement benefits are all up in the air right now. In addition to civil service protections, which can be removed rather soon. And forget about pay increases. Those will be remain stagnant for years to come.

I wish you all luck in this very dark political environment.

[Anonymous User]

That troll who posted in the forum on Avue yesterday turned out to be prophetic.

[Anonymous User]

I started having this conversation with myself last night and just left my supervisor's office after asking for his advice. I am not yet decided, but I thought I'd share his thoughts with you. Before I do, I think this advice may differ somewhat based upon which divisions you have applied for and your responsibilities. Here is what you have to consider -- there will always be shifting political power and political appointments within the DOJ -- that is just how it works. Just look at some areas and the number of U.S. Attorneys have been there through the years. Yet, there are people in those offices who have worked for 20 or 30 years, underneath both parties. I do not think those people lack character; I think they wish to serve. They keep things together through all political turmoil and believe that their job is above politics. More importantly, it is their job to act as a front line -- to have the unenviable job of silently making sure the right thing is done no matter the political climate. Remember you swear to defend the Constitution, not a person or a party. Imagine what would happen if the entire federal legal establishment was made up of political appointees or if everyone who disagreed with the party in power quit. Just imagine, and I think you can recognize how important it is for those who disagree to continue working. I know for many people this election feels different, but in some ways that makes this argument more important. The DOJ includes people of both parties and of all ideologies, but what is special about the DOJ is that everyone is striving to do the right thing, not necessarily the political one. For that, I think there is reason to stay the course, to serve, and to look to the future.

I agree with this. I currently work in a division likely to be affected by Trump's policies. There are people who've been here for many administrations and they say that in the end the work still has to get done. There will doubtless be changes and some of them will suck but I don't think being a line attorney in the DOJ is like being a political appointee. (To be honest, my sense is that a lot of what you're going to deal with is going to be fairly routine stuff that's kind of administration-independent.)

I have to say that while I don't know about hiring freezes and no raises (which were both in place under Obama anyway) I really don't see anyone trying to dismantle civil service protections at this point. There are way bigger fish to fry. And I'm pretty sure the honors hires are baked into the system/budget by now.

Don't get me wrong, I completely get reconsidering. I can't say what's going to happen either, and it will depend on your component and your personal ethics/beliefs. But I think it's worth considering the above post, too.

[zot1]

Hiring freezes and pay stagnation took place with a barely GOP controlled congress. It will get worse. Trump and congress always wanted to butcher the federal government force. This is their chance. We can agree to disagree, but I think it's naive that it won't happen. DOD probationary period has already been extended to two years recently.

[Anonymous User]

...

[wolfpack13]

Has anyone been tabbed as a finalist for the NSD?

[avatarz]

Anyone know if there is a point where an offer becomes non-revokable (or does that not happen)? I believe in working through the administration depsite the horror - but I don't want to think I have a job in the bag and have it disappear, being left in a lurch.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone been tabbed as a finalist for the NSD?

Not I. But I'll keep the board posted if you do the same!

[Anonymous User]

I'm a tax finalist (ETA: interviewee. got ahead of myself there...), and I haven't seen any updates just as an fyi.

The current positions are baked into the budget. They wouldn't be hiring if the money wasn't going to be there to fund you. That said, Trump's plan is to impose a hiring freeze and reduce the force through attrition. Whether or not that is actually as it plays out is TBD, but, for now, it appears that planned layoffs are not part of the plan.

[Anonymous User]

I'm a tax finalist (ETA: interviewee. got ahead of myself there...), and I haven't seen any updates just as an fyi.

The current positions are baked into the budget. They wouldn't be hiring if the money wasn't going to be there to fund you. That said, Trump's plan is to impose a hiring freeze and reduce the force through attrition. Whether or not that is actually as it plays out is TBD, but, for now, it appears that planned layoffs are not part of the plan.

So what, does a hiring "freeze" just mean no NEW money can be spent, or does it simply mean no one else can be added? Those are two totally different things.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know if there is a point where an offer becomes non-revokable (or does that not happen)? I believe in working through the administration depsite the horror - but I don't want to think I have a job in the bag and have it disappear, being left in a lurch.

I interviewed for ATR, and I'm on the fence. I would not accept a position in fedprograms, or FBI, or NSD, or EOIR for sure.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone been tabbed as a finalist for the NSD?

Not I. But I'll keep the board posted if you do the same!

Nothing here either, but I'll update as soon as there is movement (if any)!

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know if there is a point where an offer becomes non-revokable (or does that not happen)? I believe in working through the administration depsite the horror - but I don't want to think I have a job in the bag and have it disappear, being left in a lurch.

I interviewed for ATR, and I'm on the fence. I would not accept a position in fedprograms, or FBI, or NSD, or EOIR for sure.

ATR finalist? Interviewee here but also on the fence. One can imagine Trump believing that antitrust laws should not be enforced.

[Anonymous User]

And what about CRT? I can imagine a reversion to the Bush Administration, where the only cases brought related to religious liberties.