The Department of Justice has placed four environmental lawyers on administrative leave, including the former head of the Biden administration’s effort to combat pollution in communities of color and rural areas.
The move follows a memo issued last week to employees at DOJ and other agencies that said the Trump administration is closing all diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility offices and ending all contracts related to those issues.
Cynthia Ferguson, former head of DOJ’s Office of Environmental Justice, and Lana Pettus, former assistant chief of the department’s Environmental Crimes Section, were among those who were placed on leave, according to two people familiar with the moves.
At least one other attorney whose work is directly related to environmental justice was also placed on leave.
