Hardly a day goes by when we don’t see a confounding decision by an activist judge either stepping in to kneecap whatever President Trump is trying to accomplish or letting loose hardened criminals in misplaced attempts at “compassion.”
Department of Homeland Security General Counsel James Percival has spoken out about the issue on social media, and for that, two liberal groups and 128 former judges filed a complaint on August 18 with the Florida Bar. The Bar, an official arm of the state Supreme Court, is a professional organization that every lawyer licensed to practice law in Florida must join.
The Sunshine State Bar answered: nope. We don’t investigate officials while they’re serving in the federal government:
NEW: The Florida Bar has rejected a request to investigate DHS General Counsel James Percival for his social media posts criticizing liberal federal judges for their rulings against DHS.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) August 31, 2026
The bar writes that it: “does not investigate or prosecute sitting officers appointed under… pic.twitter.com/IqbADJljD2
NEW: The Florida Bar has rejected a request to investigate DHS General Counsel James Percival for his social media posts criticizing liberal federal judges for their rulings against DHS.
The bar writes that it: “does not investigate or prosecute sitting officers appointed under the U.S. Constitution while they are in office”, because doing so would “encroach on the authority of the federal government concerning these officials.”
Here’s the background: in July, Percival tweeted a list: the “Worst of the Worst, District Judge Edition,” naming and shaming jurists who consistently voted against efforts to terminate endless Temporary Protected Status for migrants and against the Trump administration’s attempts to enforce the law. He used highly critical phrases such as “rogue,” “judicial sabotage,” “crazy opinions,” “micromanaging,” and “naked politics.”
Here’s the first tweet in a long thread he posted:
Every day, the brave men and women of @ICEgov risk their lives to remove the Worst of the Worst from our country. Today, in honor of the @DHSgov Worst of the Worst series, I am starting a new series: 🧵Worst of the Worst, District Judge Edition.
— James Percival (@DHSGenCounsel) July 23, 2026
Two liberal groups, Democracy Defenders Fund and Lawyers Defending American Democracy, joined 128 former judges (led by former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy Quince) in a filing arguing that he had violated a rule of the Florida Professional Conduct Code.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier called the formal complaint a “shameless publicity stunt,” noting that only three of the judges had actually served on the bench in the state. He had more:
Uthmeier went on to note that existing ethical rules are “not meant ‘to protect judges from unpleasant or unsavory criticism,’ but rather ‘to preserve public confidence in the fairness and impartiality of our system of justice.'” He further underscored that when the judicial branch “has eroded that confidence all on its own, it is not unethical to hold it to account — it is a duty.”
Today, I sent a letter to the Executive Director of The Florida Bar because activists continue to weaponize the complaint process.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) August 24, 2026
This time, against @DHSGenCounsel Jimmy Percival, for criticizing rogue federal judges who routinely exceed their authority. pic.twitter.com/ZzhvVvgOzo
Although the Bar did not rule on the merits of the case, their slightly terse decision makes me think they had little interest in getting involved.
Maybe if we stopped seeing so many loony tunes decisions from activist judges, the criticism would quiet. Just a thought.
For now though, Percival can celebrate his victory:
Me after defeating 128 former judges. https://t.co/4TSCYpsafx pic.twitter.com/MHDCu3mjGT
— James Percival (@DHSGenCounsel) August 31, 2026
Editor's Note: Unelected federal judges are obstructing President Trump's agenda and ignoring the will of the people.
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