The 2020 election results and years of shocking lawfare against President Donald Trump afterwards were watershed moments for patriots. The waves of lawfare that crashed into Trump and his aides over the last few years were a wake-up call for conservatives who, for too long, have believed in our system of justice. Trump was attacked with "convictions" and "verdicts" that labeled him a "felon," "sex offender," and "fraudster." But the equally brutal attacks on the lawyers serving him should not be ignored or forgotten.
The roster of Trump lawyers who were professionally slain in his service is long and sobering. No less than Mayor Rudy Giuliani was disbarred for trying to help Trump challenge the many improprieties in the 2020 election. Conservative constitutional scholar John Eastman, another Trump lawyer, was also disbarred. Trump allies and officials such as Jeffrey Clark stare at the same fate.
Now, Trump and his lawyers have seen enough. Ed Martin, the newly appointed head of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Weaponization Working Group, may deliver some accountability and reforms to the left-wing state bars that have terrorized him and many other conservative attorneys. Appointed to be the new U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, only to see RINO members of the U.S. Senate torpedo his nomination, Martin received a substantial consolation prize. He now oversees the administration's effort to halt left-wing weaponization of the law. Last month, Martin told the Daily Caller he wants to expose the "weaponization of the bar associations against lawyers."
Trump Team Targets "Lawlessness." Martin noted that bar associations overwhelmingly target conservatives. "I've seen the impact on the legal system, not only advocates like myself who are targeted, but rank and file prosecutors who are abused by the system because the left wants to have sort of lawlessness," he said. Indeed, the D.C. Bar is investigating Martin, who has wrongfully leaked details of its investigation in the process.
Nowhere has this rancid situation been worse than in Arizona. The Grand Canyon State has the most corrupt state bar in the country. The steady assaults on conservative attorneys by bar associations nationwide began in Arizona nearly two decades ago with the election of Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas.
Elected district attorney for greater Phoenix on a pre-MAGA agenda of stopping illegal immigration, Thomas was the subject of five years of nonstop investigations by a weaponized state bar. His "crime" was exposing judges' attempts to undermine a publicly approved crackdown on violent illegal immigrants. After years of proceedings denounced by the Maricopa County Republican Committee, Fox News panelists, and even liberal writers for The Arizona Republic, Thomas was ultimately disbarred following a show trial in 2012 (note: my legal career also was destroyed in the same proceedings for serving as a prosecutor in his administration).
Since then, the emboldened State Bar of Arizona has targeted fresh prey. Conservative attorneys representing Trump and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake have suffered lengthy investigations and absurd sanctions for trumped-up accusations related to the 2020 and 2022 elections. The state bar also managed to suspend the law license of April Sponsel, a career county prosecutor with a stellar record. Sponsel's offense was seeking to prosecute Antifa protesters for breaking state law. For her efforts to protect local citizens, Sponsel was assailed by the Fake News and her boss, RINO county attorney Rachel Mitchell, who collaborated with the state bar to wreck her career.
A Two-Pronged Counterattack against the State Bar of Arizona
Today, in the wake of Martin's statement that his committee is looking at rogue bar associations, the State Bar of Arizona faces a two-pronged assault. Interestingly, this counterattack comes from both sides of the political spectrum.
Republican Party. The Maricopa County Republican Committee's Executive Guidance Committee has officially called upon the Trump administration to investigate the Arizona State Bar. On June 3, the group of almost 100 people unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice "immediately commence an investigation of the State Bar of Arizona over its pattern of civil rights violations."
GOP leaders noted the state bar's attacks on Trump election attorneys and former county attorney Thomas. The resolution stated, "Mr. Thomas was the only Maricopa County Attorney who has ever fully enforced the state's laws against illegal immigration, resulting in illegal immigrants leaving the state in droves while he and Sheriff [Joe] Arpaio were in office." As a result, "open-border politicians and elites attacked both men and worked to damage them and thwart their efforts." In particular, "the State Bar of Arizona was weaponized for this purpose against Mr. Thomas and his deputies . . . by seeking his disbarment through the use of 'lawfare' and a sham trial similar to what our great President Donald Trump has been forced to endure."
As an aside, to show that you can't keep a good man down, Thomas has since moved to Texas and started a faith-based film company, Summerbrook Studios. He's now a rising star among conservative filmmakers.
Conservative elected officials. Also urging DOJ action against the State Bar are two of Arizona's shining stars on the right. Mark Finchem and Wendy Rogers, state senators known nationwide as conservative heroes, have shown leadership and courage regarding the long-festering problem. Both senators have sent letters to the DOJ requesting a civil rights investigation of the state bar because of these and related concerns. Finchem noted that the state bar had recently targeted his election attorney, who was "forced to abandon me in an election contest where the court itself abandoned established rules of procedure." Other GOP politicians are expected to join in this call.
And... Al Sharpton's group. Meanwhile, the Arizona State Bar has grown so arrogant and reckless that it has alienated even a left-wing organization. The National Action Alliance (NAN), Phoenix Metro chapter, run by Reverend Al Sharpton, also has called for the Justice Department to investigate the State Bar of Arizona.
In an April 2025 letter to the state bar, the leader of NAN's Phoenix Metro chapter noted "credible and substantiated allegations of misconduct, racial discrimination, and procedural improprieties within the State Bar's attorney discipline system." The group stated, "The State Bar of Arizona has repeatedly engaged in conduct that violates the constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. Additionally, the actions of the State Bar have infringed upon attorneys' First Amendment rights to engage in protected speech and advocacy, particularly in matters concerning civil rights and government accountability." NAN Phoenix even acknowledged that Thomas was "a target of politically driven disbarment proceedings." NAN Phoenix called upon the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice to investigate. (Note: the group has cited the State Bar's mistreatment of me because of my conservative views as especially compelling proof of the State Bar's disregard for civil rights.)
NAN Phoenix has since followed up with a second letter to the state bar after leaders refused to meet with the group. "Given your response, the National Action Network, Phoenix Metro, will pursue all available avenues to ensure that these issues and the voices of those affected are heard and addressed," the group said. "This includes engagement with the media, public advocacy, and mobilizing our community."
Earlier this month, NAN Phoenix issued a press release denouncing "systemic bias, intimidation, and the bar's refusal to address concerns raised by attorneys across political spectrums." The group called for a "public, independent review of the Arizona State Bar's disciplinary practices." It reiterated, "One of the most compelling aspects of the testimonies NAN received is that the impacted attorneys represent a broad political spectrum — including conservatives, moderates, independents, and progressives."
These are extraordinary public calls for federal action from major leaders and organizations. Long overdue is federal intervention to reform a flagrantly corrupt state agency that, for years, has avoided any accountability. State bars are an arm of the courts. Such agencies should ensure the civil rights of all, not lead the charge to savage those rights. The weaponization of state bars against conservative attorneys and great leaders such as Giuliani is a grave threat to American justice, pure and simple. For Trump to make good on his pledge to end the weaponization of the law against conservatives, there's no better place to start than the dirty courtrooms of Arizona.
Rachel Alexander Follow Rachel on Twitter / X. Email tips to rachel.r.alexander@gmail.com.
