The Department of Justice has made the decision to rescind job offers for the prestigious Attorney General’s Honors Program due to President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze. Established in 1953, this program traditionally recruits top legal talent from leading law schools such as Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, Stanford, and the University of Virginia.
Individuals who had been selected for the program, which serves as a vital pipeline for bringing exceptional legal professionals into the public sector, were informed of the revocation of their offers. The Department’s Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management sent out emails to notify the affected candidates, citing the hiring freeze announced on January 20, 2025, as the reason for the decision.
The Attorney General’s Honors Program typically onboards over 100 lawyers annually, with recent hires being placed in various divisions including antitrust, national security, and criminal law. The program plays a crucial role in replenishing the Justice Department with fresh legal talent and offers participants a structured career path within the Department upon completion of the two-year program.
It remains uncertain whether the program will resume once the federal hiring freeze is lifted. President Trump’s executive orders, issued on Inauguration Day, included directives for a freeze on federal hiring, withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, and instructions for departments to address the cost-of-living crisis.
The hiring freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies, with exceptions made for military personnel and positions related to immigration, national security, or public safety. The fate of the Attorney General’s Honors Program post-freeze is currently unclear, leaving aspiring legal professionals awaiting further developments.
