I read the recent New York Times article on the Department of Justice’s recruitment of prosecutors in a polarized political climate with a deep sense of recognition. The article describes a tension that has intensified in the current administration. In today’s climate, questions about independence, motive, and institutional trust are more pronounced, and they increasingly shape how public service is perceived and whether talented lawyers are willing to enter and stay in government service.
Early in my career, thanks to a full scholarship from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, I was able to take a 50 percent pay cut and accept an appointment as an Assistant Ohio Attorney General in the Civil Rights Section, my dream job. It was a deliberate choice rooted in a belief that public service mattered.
I still remember Attorney General Celebrezze, a Democrat, saying to me with clarity and conviction that my role was to serve and protect the people of Ohio. There was no ambiguity in that charge. It was about responsibility, integrity, and trust.
Later, when I was promoted to a leadership position with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Governor George Voinovich, a Republican, offered guidance that echoed the same principle. He told me that my job was to protect all of the people. That consistency across party lines mattered. It reinforced that the legitimacy of our institutions depends on fairness and independence.
Continuing This Work Today
Today, I continue this work in a different capacity. I currently partner with the National Association of Attorneys General to help develop a leadership academy for public sector lawyers. That organization is explicitly and intentionally committed to nonpartisanship. Its mission is grounded in professionalism, ethical leadership, and service to the public.
This New York Times article highlights a real concern. When public service is viewed primarily through a partisan lens, we risk discouraging precisely the kind of lawyers who understand the weight of the oath they take. Prosecutors and public servants must be trusted to exercise judgment with integrity, whether they are working quietly or under intense scrutiny.
I entered government with a clear understanding that the rule of law depends on public servants who take their responsibility to the people seriously and exercise their judgment with integrity.
We should be recruiting and supporting public servants who carry that ethic forward. Our democracy depends on it.
Dr. Gregory J. Vincent is CEO of Vincent Strategies and Gregory J. Vincent Law, and serves on the Graduate Faculty at Kansas State University.
Read the full New York Times article: DOJ Prosecutors Recruiting Under Trump
Lady justice with blindfold image courtesy of the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Photo of the Ohio Statehouse from Ohio.org.