by
Joe
Raedle/Getty)
Our
annual
bracket
challenge
has
ended
and
when
we
asked
readers
which
Trump
administration
lawyer
most
needs
to
see
their
law
license
revoked,
you
all
agreed
that
Pam
Bondi
deserved
the
honor.
As
it
turned
out,
her
mid-competition
firing
did
nothing
to
dampen
voter
enthusiasm
for
licensing
authorities
to
consider
her
actions
as
Attorney
General
and
protect
the
public
with
harsh
sanctions
aimed
at
keeping
the
head
of
this
disgraceful
Justice
Department
from
“transitioning
to
a
much
needed
and
important
new
job
in
the
private
sector”
—
as
she
apparently
plans
to
do.
Bondi’s
victory
in
this
competition
carries
an
extra
layer
of
meaning
because
Florida
regulators
already
brushed
off
a
robust
ethics
complaint
by
contriving
an
exception
barring
ethical
investigations
of
“sitting
officers
appointed
under
the
U.S.
Constitution
while
they
are
in
office.”
Not
a
problem
anymore!
In
the
end,
it
wasn’t
even
close.
Before
being
drummed
out
of
office,
Bondi
proposed
a
new
regulation
that
would
prevent
licensing
authorities
from
investigating
current
or
former
DOJ
lawyers.
She’s
really
depending
on
the
second
half
of
that
rule
coming
to
fruition
now.
A
coalition
of
129
former
judges
just
called
on
Blanche
—
running
the
Department
on
a
temporary
basis
—
to
junk
the
rule,
effectively
throwing
his
former
boss
under
the
bus.
Given
that
Blanche
finished
second
in
this
competition,
readers
don’t
seem
particularly
eager
to
trust
his
professional
judgment
either.
Bondi’s
test
will
come
soon
enough.
The
folks
behind
the
original
bar
complaint
against
her
ethically
fraught
management
of
the
DOJ
plan
to
lodge
another
complaint
soon,
citing
the
fact
that
the
Florida
Bar
can
no
longer
cower
behind
its
“constitutional
officer”
excuse.
Congratulations,
Pam.
They
may
take
away
your
license,
but
they’ll
never
take
away
your
2026
ATL
Bracket
victory!
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter or
Bluesky
if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.