Remember Julie Le? If the name rings a bell, it’s probably because she delivered one of the most honest courtroom reviews of the unreasonable work government attorneys are being asked to do in support of the Trumpian immigration policy.
Back in February, the then–Justice Department attorney told a federal judge exactly how she felt about her workload, “The system sucks, this job sucks.” And, in what may be the most damning line ever uttered in federal court, she added, “I wish you would just hold me in contempt … so I can get 24 hours of sleep.”
The internet loved it. The Justice Department… less so. She was promptly shown the door. Which didn’t help with the rapidly depleting reserve of government attorneys.
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And now? Well, Le has decided that if you’re going to go viral, you might as well go all the way to Congress. Le has officially launched a campaign for Congress in Minnesota’s 5th District as a Democrat, challenging incumbent Rep. Ilhan Omar.
According to her campaign messaging, Le says she “has witnessed firsthand the complexities of our immigration and legal systems” and understands “how broken they are — and the reforms needed to improve them.” (Which, admittedly, is a slightly more polished version of “the system sucks.”)
Le’s background is compelling as a Vietnamese refugee who came to the United States in 1993 and later worked as an immigration prosecutor connected to ICE enforcement operations, she has a unique perspective that she’s taking to voters. The theory appears to be that if the system is broken, maybe the person who said it out loud should try fixing it.
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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].