The Department of Justice (DOJ) has withdrawn job offers extended to aspiring lawyers through its prestigious Attorney General’s Honors Program, a direct consequence of President Trump's recently implemented federal hiring freeze.

This program, established in 1953, serves as a crucial pipeline for attracting top-tier legal talent from prominent law schools like Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, Stanford, and the University of Virginia into public service. The program typically recruits recent graduates and graduating law students.

According to individuals familiar with the matter who spoke to the Washington Post, the DOJ informed selected candidates that their offers were being rescinded. The news, delivered via email on Wednesday by the Department’s Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management, cited the hiring freeze enacted on January 20, 2025, as the reason for the revocation.

A sign at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The Attorney General’s Honors Program is estimated to onboard over 100 lawyers each year, placing them within various divisions, including antitrust, national security, and criminal justice. Sources emphasized to the Washington Post the program's vital role in replenishing the DOJ's legal ranks with skilled professionals, offering a two-year pathway that often leads to continued employment within the Department. The future of the program, and whether it will be reinstated once the hiring freeze lifts, remains uncertain.

The seal of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

President Trump signed several executive orders upon his inauguration, encompassing the hiring freeze, withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, and directives for federal departments to address the cost-of-living crisis. The hiring freeze, as outlined in a White House memo, prohibits filling vacant civilian positions and creating new ones, except as legally permitted. Exemptions to this freeze include military personnel and positions related to immigration, national security, and public safety.

U.S. President Donald Trump sings a second executive order during the inaugural celebration inside Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on the first day of his second term, January 20, 2025.  (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

The DOJ has not yet provided a comment on the matter.