Bar complaint accuses Biden-appointed district judge of dishonesty during DOJ tenure

Last week, Sooknanan blocked the administration from implementing a voter verification system that linked Social Security records with federal citizenship data, ruling the program likely violated federal privacy laws and resulted in eligible voters being incorrectly flagged as noncitizens.

“The federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of U.S. citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote,” Sooknanan wrote in her 75-page opinion.

The decision sparked criticism from prominent conservatives, including Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), who questioned Sooknanan’s dual-citizenship history, and billionaire Elon Musk, who wrote on X, “They didn’t just import voters, they imported judges too.”

The ruling also prompted Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) to renew calls for a constitutional amendment that would require federal judges, members of Congress, and Senate-confirmed executive branch officials to be natural-born U.S. citizens. Sooknanan is originally from Trinidad and Tobago.

“Foreign-born judge Sparkle Sooknanan blocked the use of an immigration database to clear illegal aliens from voter rolls,” Mace wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. “This is exactly why our constitutional amendment we introduced matters. Federal judges, Members of Congress, and Senate-confirmed officers must be natural-born American citizens. END THE FOREIGN TAKEOVER.”

While the new complaint concerns Sooknanan’s conduct before she joined the federal bench, it builds on evidence detailed in the DOJ’s April report examining the Biden administration’s enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

That report, based on more than 700,000 internal DOJ records, alleged senior department officials selectively pursued politically advantageous charges under the FACE Act, the law that punishes obstruction of entry into abortion clinics and houses of worship, involving anti-abortion activists.

According to Trump administration’s DOJ weaponization report, Sooknanan participated in discussions encouraging aggressive FACE Act prosecutions against anti-abortion protesters while downplaying violence targeting anti-abortion pregnancy resource centers.

The complaint also cites internal emails showing Sooknanan offered her “many thanks” to other DOJ personnel following the FBI raid and arrest of Pennsylvania anti-abortion activist Mark Houck after agents executed a high-profile raid at his home despite his offer to surrender voluntarily. Houck was later acquitted on federal charges that critics described as politically motivated.

The filing further alleges Sooknanan coordinated with the Southern Poverty Law Center on federal civil rights enforcement priorities and avoided compiling statistics requested for congressional oversight regarding alleged selective FACE Act enforcement.

Beyond the DOJ report, Democracy Restored argues public records indicate Sooknanan may have made misleading statements during her 2024 Senate confirmation hearing.

During that hearing, Sooknanan testified that she was “not lead counsel” in a controversial case handled while she worked at the law firm Jones Day. The complaint argues that testimony conflicts with contemporaneous Jones Day press releases describing her as leading the litigation team, as well as Supreme Court filings listing her as counsel of record.

“Our 250th anniversary serves as a reminder of how our Founders attempted to design a government that could not be weaponized against its opponents,” Democracy Restored Director Houston Keene said in a statement.

“Unfortunately that didn’t stop officials in the Biden DOJ from trying just that. Judge Sooknanan’s previous actions outlined in the Government Weaponization Report belie a clear and objective bias against pro-life U.S. citizens and that should be scrutinized,” Keene added. “An investigation into Judge Sooknanan is critical, as her impartiality in the legal sphere has been heavily called into question, and appropriate action must be taken.”

Sooknanan has not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the complaint. The Washington Examiner contacted her chambers for a response.

The filing marks the latest in a growing series of ethics complaints targeting lawyers and judges involved in politically charged legal disputes.

Last week, 101 former judges and several liberal legal organizations filed a disciplinary complaint against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, alleging professional misconduct stemming from his leadership of the DOJ, as the Senate prepares to hold votes next month on his confirmation.

Meanwhile, the DOJ last month sued the D.C. Bar, alleging its disciplinary system has been administered in a politically discriminatory manner.

The complaint against Sooknanan comes as other conservative watchdog groups have also increasingly used disciplinary complaints to challenge attorneys and judges they accuse of political bias.

Earlier this month, the Center to Advance Security in America filed an ethics complaint against D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel senior assistant attorney Jack Metzler, arguing his public social media activity demonstrated political bias during an ethics investigation involving former interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin.

The same organization later filed a judicial misconduct complaint against U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy of Rhode Island, alleging she raised false and politically motivated attacks against DOJ attorneys in litigation involving federal subpoenas seeking records related to transgender drug and hormone treatments for minors.

RHODE ISLAND JUDGE FACES MISCONDUCT COMPLAINT OVER ATTACKS ON DOJ LAWYERS

Whether the Office of Disciplinary Counsel opens a formal investigation into Sooknanan remains unclear. Under D.C. Bar procedures, complaints are initially screened before disciplinary authorities determine whether further investigation is warranted.

Read the full complaint below:

DR Bar Complaint_Sooknanan by reportoftheday