Partisan Entrenchment in the Civil Service: The Case of the Justice Department

Back in 2006, I wrote about the Bush administration's plans to stock the Justice Department with movement conservatives, based on earlier reporting by Charlie Savage . The Inspector General's office has now issued a critical report arguing that the administration systematically and illegally used ideological and political allegiances to decide which law-school graduates it would hire in the Department of Justice's honors program and summer internships, which are often stepping stones to permanent jobs.

Much of what I had to say in 2006 is still relevant today to understanding what is going on here.

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