The Department of Justice (DOJ) is attempting to short-circuit state bar ethics investigations into department attorneys through a new and unexpected proposed rule.

Posted in the Federal Register Wednesday, the proposed regulation seeks to suspend any state ethics proceedings against current or former DOJ attorneys if the department decides to conduct its own review first.

If finalized after a 30-day public comment period, the proposed regulation would in theory allow the DOJ to head off any state bar investigation into a DOJ lawyer by opening � and indefinitely stalling � its own investigation into the attorney......

All U.S. attorneys, including those in the DOJ, must be licensed by a state bar association to practice law in the U.S. Such associations are responsible for investigating ethics complaints against the lawyers they license, and if necessary, taking disciplinary actions for misconduct, including suspending law licenses and permanent disbarment.

�Subverting state bar authorities would give DOJ lawyers carte blanche to violate ethics rules,� Barb McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor and a former U.S. attorney, said in a social media post Wednesday reacting to the proposed regulation.