Job Applicants File Lawsuit Against Gonzales, Other Former Justice Officials

Washington, D.C.(AHN) - A lawsuit has been filed against former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other top Justice Department officials by a group of rejected job applicants for the agency's internship and honors programs.

Dan Metcalfe, a former department official who is now attorney for plaintiff Sean Gelich, filed an amended complaint at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last Friday to include five other plaintiffs. The amended lawsuit also identifies Gonzales, former Gonzales counsel Esther Slater McDonald, former Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General Michael Elston and White House Liaison Monica Goodling.

Gerlich first filed the lawsuit against the department in June. His complaint now includes Christopher Coleman, James Gooch, Benjamin Meier, James Saul and Jennifer Zajac as plaintiffs. All attorneys claim to have been illegally rejected for the Justice Department Honors Program and the Summer Law Intern Program on basis of their political affiliations.

Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine and the Office of Professional Responsibility said in a report in July that McDonald and Elston had rejected highly qualified candidates for the department's honors and intern program on the basis of their work with liberal organizations.

A second report released earlier this month by the same two internal government watchdogs said Goodling and former Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson broke federal law by discriminating against liberal candidates for department career positions.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey said he does not plan to criminally prosecute former employees implicated in the reports. He also said his agency has taken steps beyond the recommendations made by the Inspector General in the reports, including contacting former candidates and encouraging them to apply again for vacancies.

Lawyers for Goodling told Law.com on Monday that the former White House liaison "had nothing to do" with the rejection of the six plaintiffs from the intern program.