In this annual “worst legal decision,” column, Amherst professor Austin Sarat critiques the tenure of Attorney General Pam Bondi in 2025, arguing that her leadership has marked a dramatic erosion of the Justice Department’s independence and integrity by subjugating it to President Trump's political agenda. Professor Sarat argues that Bondi has transformed the DOJ into a partisan tool for retribution, abandoning constitutional principles and echoing the abuses of the pre-Watergate era, making her the year’s worst legal decision(maker).
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