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Power outages and canceled flights as winter storm brings snow, sleet and ice

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Power outages and canceled flights as winter storm brings snow, sleet and ice

A man carries a shovel as he crosses a street in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood in New York on Sunday.

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An immense and powerful winter storm is blanketing the eastern two-thirds of the United States with a mix of heavy snow, dangerous ice and frigid temperatures, affecting tens of millions of people from New Mexico to New England.

Nearly a million customers across the South were without power on Sunday evening, as the effects of the weekend’s massive weather system began to take hold. Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas were among the hardest hit.

States from Missouri to Maine were under a winter storm warning on Sunday. National Weather Service forecasters were particularly concerned about freezing rain and ice.

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“Whenever we see these big ice events, we’ll see various hazards; obviously bridges and overpasses being frozen over, and with trees and various different things that could fall into the roadways or potentially fall on houses,” Nicholas Price, an NWS meteorologist in Texas, told NPR earlier.

The storm severely disrupted air travel. By Sunday evening, over 11,000 flights had been canceled in the U.S. and more than 4,700 were delayed, according to FlightAware.

Officials in multiple states also warned drivers to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

Reporters from across the NPR Network are covering the storm in each state — the impact and how officials are responding. We’ve also got tips for interpreting different weather notices, protecting your home or vehicle ahead of time, and for staying safe once the storm hits.

Alabama

  • Northwest portions of the state, including Lauderdale County, are some of the areas impacted most by the storm.
  • Under 2,000 people are without power in western parts of Lauderdale County, according to Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency Director Brad Holmes. Up to an inch of ice has accumulated on power lines and trees, with over 100 trees reported down across roadways throughout the county, Holmes told NPR on Sunday.
  • About 11 vehicles got stuck or slid off the road, with at least three crashes, while five people have been transported to the hospital because of falls, Holmes also said.
  • Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency and activated the Alabama National Guard. More than 350 service members have been activated and are assisting efforts in North Alabama, according to the Alabama National Guard.
  • The Alabama Department of Transportation on Sunday urged people to “avoid travel after temperatures drop and wait for conditions to improve.”

Arkansas

  • Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency Thursday and deployed at least 170 national guard service members to assist with the storm. The Arkansas National Guard said it was assisting Arkansas State Police. 

Connecticut

Delaware

  • By Sunday afternoon, several areas had recorded more than 6 inches of snow. 
  • Gov. Matt Meyer urged residents to stay home. “This is not a let-me-run-out-to-the-convenience-store-real-quick kind of storm,” he said in a video on social media. “Let’s do everything we can to keep each other safe.”
  • Beginning Sunday morning in New Castle and Kent Counties, driving was limited to emergency workers, public utilities, health care providers, snow removal operations, food and fuel deliveries and those with approved waivers. 
  • Department of Transportation Community Relations Director C.R. McLeod said staff brined roads statewide on Friday to get ahead of freezing conditions once precipitation began.

District of Columbia

Georgia

  • The storm brought freezing rain, sleet, and snow to parts of northern and middle Georgia. A winter storm warning is in effect through Monday.
  • The University of Georgia closed its campus and announced that all in-person classes, campus events and activities will be canceled on Monday. The impacts of the storm will likely be felt days after the worst of the weather has passed, as officials say hazardous road conditions could affect Monday morning commutes. 

For more information, head to WUGA.

Illinois

  • A snow emergency has been declared by the City of Springfield’s Office of Public Works through Monday at noon.
  • There have been eight collisions with snowplows, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. “That’s 8 fewer plows clearing roads. If you can, please stay home. If you must drive, slow down, don’t crowd the plow, and give our crews plenty of space to work safely,” the agency said on Sunday.

Indiana

  • The NWS warned of frostbite and said wind chills could reach 20 degrees below zero on Monday in northern Indiana. 
  • The Indiana Department of Transportation said Sunday there have been “multiple reports of crashes and slide-offs” and is urging people to stay off the roads.
  • Indiana’s electric grid operator declared a conservation alert, asking customers to conserve energy and prepare for the possibility of “planned outages.”
  • Parts of Indiana recorded more than 12 inches of snow by mid-day Sunday and forecasters warned of another 1-3 inches late Sunday into Monday in the northern part of the state.

Kentucky

A vehicle drives through snowy conditions on Sunday in Louisville, Ky.

A vehicle drives through snowy conditions on Sunday in Louisville, Ky.

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  • At least 75,000 people were without power “and that number is expected to increase as ice accumulates,” Gov. Andy Beshear said on Sunday. 
  • There are 113 warming centers across the commonwealth, according to officials.
  • The NWS says central and eastern Kentucky could get the most snow they’ve seen in 10 years. Ice accumulations are more than expected, Beshear said.
  • In the city of Lexington, the storm “will more than likely take its place among the top 10” since 1887, says Emergency Management Director Rob Larkin.
  • Kentucky Utilities has an instant text and call alert service to inform customers about outages.

Louisiana

  • More than 140,000 customers were without power on Sunday afternoon.
  • Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency, which his office says “activates the State’s emergency response and recovery program, allowing for direct state assistance to support operational measures at the parish level.”
  • In the northern city of Monroe, Mayor Friday Ellis declared a state of emergency.

For more resources on Louisiana, head to KEDM.

Maine

  • Snow was expected to pick up in the far northern state Sunday afternoon, but the NWS office in Gray said Sunday morning that it had already received reports of light snow and flurries.
  • Wind chills could reach 25 below zero on Sunday through Monday. “Probably the coldest temperatures are going to be seen up north and across the Western Maine mountains,” said Steven Baron, a meteorologist in Gray.
  • Snow was forecast to fall Sunday afternoon through Monday evening.

Maryland

  • Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and urged people to stay off the roads and to check on neighbors.
  • Hundreds of flights were canceled at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Sunday.
  • The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter is looking for people to foster dogs.

Massachusetts

Mississippi

  • More than 150,000 customers were without power on Sunday afternoon. Gov. Tate Reeves said power restoration was hindered by icy roads across the state.
  • Todd Jordan, mayor of Tupelo, told NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe that the state has been experiencing power outages. He said the biggest issue the state is seeing is downed trees due to freezing rain. 

Missouri

Nebraska

  • Several cities, including Lincoln and Omaha, are activating warming centers for people seeking a reprieve from the frigid temperatures. 

New Hampshire

  • As the Granite State braces for extreme cold, including temperatures of -30 degrees and wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour, New Hampshire Public Radio has resources for finding shelters and staying safe in the frigid weather.
  • Warming centers were open across the state, with people encouraged to call 211 to find the nearest location, Gov. Kelly Ayotte said.
  • New Hampshire Fish and Game Sergeant Matthew Holmes is warning hikers against venturing out during the storm, but also offered recommendations on how to stay safe in hazardous conditions. “Although [hiking] is something that I worry about, and often drives me nuts, I know it’s going to happen and we’re going to have folks out there,” he said.

New Jersey

  • On the heels of her inauguration, Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced an emergency declaration that went into effect for all 21 counties. Sherrill also announced a commercial vehicle travel restriction on interstate highways.
  • Snow fell steadily across New Jersey on Sunday. Trenton had received more than 7 inches of snow by early afternoon, the NWS reported.
  • State offices were set to be closed Monday, and New Jersey Transit temporarily suspended bus, light rail and Access Link on Sunday. 
  • Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport warned businesses not to violate the state’s price gouging law during the snowstorm.

New York

  • State officials said most of New York is expected to receive 1-2 feet of snow, while New York City and Long Island could get sleet.
  • Gov. Kathy Hochul urged residents to stay indoors, layer to stay warm and check on their neighbors.
  • The largest school district in the U.S. will hold remote classes on Monday. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said city schools would operate remotely, though school buildings would be closed.
  • Parts of the North Country could see wind chills as low as 50 below zero. Much of Central New York is also preparing for a week-long winter cold snap.
  • Bonus: Gothamist has recommendations for how to make the most of the snowstorm.

For more resources by region in New York, head to WSKG.

North Carolina

For more resources in North Carolina, including where to find shelter, head to WUNC.

Ohio

  • The National Weather Service is predicting a total snowfall of eight inches to a foot in central Ohio this weekend. 
  • Rock salt shortages may make driving in Northeast Ohio this winter more treacherous than usual.
  • As extremely cold temperatures grip Northeast Ohio, emergency doctors are warning that frostbite can develop faster than many parents realize, especially in children. “Thirty minutes or less typically is all the time that’s required to develop frostbite in exposed individuals when the windchill is near zero,” said MetroHealth emergency physician Dr. Jeremiah Escajeda. She advises dressing children in layers, keeping extremities covered and changing out of wet clothing.

For the latest in Ohio, head to WVXU.

Oklahoma

  • The winter storm has exited Oklahoma, as the state saw multiple rounds of snow on Sunday. 
  • While the storm has largely passed, officials say hazardous road conditions remain and the biggest danger going forward will be the cold temperatures that are forecast to drop as low as -15. 

Pennsylvania

  • By early afternoon Sunday, multiple Pennsylvania cities had already seen more than half a foot of snow. Philadelphia received 7.4 inches as of 1 p.m. ET, while 8.4 inches fell in Reading and Allentown received 9.2 inches.
  • Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker urged residents to “please remain off the roads unless you absolutely have to travel.” City schools will be closed Monday. SEPTA suspended all bus and light rail operations.
  • Photos show the extent of Philadelphia’s first major storm of the year.
  • Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor said he’s “expecting the worst” from the storm, which is projected to drop between 9-14 inches of snow on the area. He said he is prepared to call in additional contractors and haulers to deal with the snow.
  • This could be the most significant winter storm in Pittsburgh in five years. “We’ll be on the northwest fringe of this storm track where the heavy snow will be occurring,” NWS meteorologist Chris Leonardi said of Pittsburgh.
  • Central Pennsylvania will also see double-digit snowfall and cold temperatures.
  • Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday that 2,600 plow trucks were out clearing Pennsylvania roads.

South Carolina

  • NWS offices across the state issued a variety of alerts, including an ice storm warning and a winter weather advisory, which will run through Monday morning.
  • Gov. Henry McMaster urged South Carolinians to heed emergency warnings.
  • State Transportation Secretary Justin Powell said 3,000 road crew personnel will work statewide through the storm’s duration. Powell said 1.5 million gallons of brine have already been put on the roads.
  • Forecast models show ice thickness between 0.5 and 1 inches occurring around Greenville and Rock Hill by the time the winter storm’s precipitation ends on Monday. Low temperatures on Tuesday morning are expected to reach the single digits across parts of the Upstate.

Tennessee

Memphis residents shovel snow from a sidewalk in downtown Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday.

Memphis residents shovel snow from a sidewalk in downtown Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday.

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  • The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) said Sunday that much of the state is experiencing snow or sleet, with freezing rain set to come later. Much of the state will also receive a quarter-inch of ice, while some areas will see a half-inch, TEMA said.
  • More than 316,000 customers have lost power in Tennessee, and power restoration could take days. WPLN’s Rose Gilbert told NPR’s Weekend Edition that Nashville had seen a spike in outages. “People have reported hearing these loud cracking noises, with trees coming down — as well as what looks like lightning, but is related either to transformers blowing out or arcing from the power lines,” Gilbert said.
  • But there were also moments of levity as the storm beared down. On Saturday, Gilbert observed dozens of people sledding at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville “with everything from old-fashioned wooden sleds to pool floaties and cardboard boxes. It was a bit of a party scene. There was kind of an ad hoc après-ski sort of feel.”

For the latest in Tennessee, head to WKNO.

Texas

  • At least one person is confirmed to have died from extreme cold, according to Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. 
  • The Austin area is experiencing a thicker than anticipated layer of frozen precipitation, making road conditions treacherous.
  • Colder temperatures are still to come: “Tonight, it is going to get very, very cold, so any moisture that’s left out there … it is going to refreeze,” Brian Mason, the city of Houston’s emergency management director, said on Sunday. “When the sun goes down, please make sure you’re off the roads and take the burden off our first responders that will be out in the field.” Southeast Texas is under an extreme cold warning through Tuesday morning.
  • Early voting in the Houston City Council election was initially scheduled to continue through Tuesday, but the polls are closed Sunday and Monday because of inclement weather. Schools across the state also announced closures.

For more resources in Texas, head to Texas Public Radio.

Vermont

  • Forecasters predict snowfall reaching 8 to 16 inches, with up to 2 feet possible in some areas.
  • Seven extreme cold weather shelter locations will be open over the weekend. Most are part of a state-funded network of overflow shelters that activate when temperatures fall into the negatives.
  • The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles has also placed a travel restriction on Route 9 through 7:00 p.m. Monday.

Virginia

  • Gov. Abigail Spanberger issued an emergency declaration and said it will take time for state agencies to clear roads in the coming days and asked people to stay home.
  • The Virginia State Police on Sunday urged people to avoid travel, saying wet roads across the state will turn icy overnight.
  • Virginia State Police also told NPR that as of Sunday night they had responded to 378 crashes, 28 of which had injuries. There had been one fatal crash, which Virginia State Police was investigating in northern Virginia in Fairfax County, although weather was not being looked at as a factor in this crash.

West Virginia

  • As temperatures drop, the West Virginia Department of Transportation urged people to be aware of black ice: “We need you to PAY ATTENTION and SLOW DOWN when traveling in these conditions.”
  • Warming centers for unhoused people have opened across the state. “We won’t turn anybody away,” said shelter director Crystal Neff. “We’ll find ’em a sleeping bag or a blanket, whatever we have, to make sure everybody’s safe.”

 

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Wheelchair curler Steve Emt’s path from drunk driver to three-time Paralympian

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Wheelchair curler Steve Emt’s path from drunk driver to three-time Paralympian

American Steve Emt competes in Sunday’s mixed doubles match against Italy, which the U.S. won.

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Anyone watching the Winter Paralympics has probably taken note of Steve Emt, who — along with Laura Dwyer — is representing Team USA in the Games’ first-ever mixed doubles event.

Their performance is one thing: The pair notched three dramatic, back-to-back wins in the round-robin tournament to reach the semifinals, marking the first time the U.S. has qualified for a medal round in wheelchair curling since the 2010 Paralympics.

After losing to Korea in the semifinals, Emt and Dwyer will face Latvia in the bronze medal match on Tuesday, in the hopes of winning the U.S. its first Paralympic medal in wheelchair curling.

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But it’s their teamwork and attitude on ice that really set them apart. Emt, in particular, has charmed the internet, with his booming baritone delivering a steady stream of encouragement to his doubles partner and demands to the granite stones they’re sliding (“curl!” “sit!”).

“I have three older siblings. I was always on the basketball court getting beat up by them, so I had to assert myself on the court, around the kitchen table, everything,” he said when asked about his deep voice this week.

Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer celebrate during a match this week.

Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer have made sure to celebrate their wins, of which there have been many throughout this wheelchair curling mixed doubles round-robin tournament.

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While Emt, 56, is competing in a new event, he’s no stranger to the sport: The 10-time national champion and three-time Paralympian is the most decorated Paralympic curler in U.S. history.

But he didn’t know what curling was until he got recruited off the street just over a decade ago.

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Emt, who is 6 feet, 5 inches tall, was enjoying a day in Cape Cod, Mass., in 2013 when a stranger with slicked-back hair approached and asked if he was local. Emt replied that he lived in Connecticut and suspiciously asked why.

“He said, ‘Well, I train with the Paralympic rowing team here in the Cape. I saw you pushing up the hill back there. With your build, I could make you an Olympian in a year,’” Emt recalled, referring to his wheelchair. “And I heard ‘Olympics,’ I’m like: Let’s go. What the hell is curling?”

After their conversation, Emt drove home and did some research, confirming that curling was not related to weightlifting, as he originally suspected.

“I went back two weeks later and I threw my first stone, and it just bit me,” he said.

Before long, Emt was making the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Massachusetts to spend the weekend training with that stranger-turned-coach, Tony Colacchio. He made the U.S. wheelchair curling team in 2014 and competed at his first world championship in 2015. Emt made his Paralympic debut in Pyeongchang in 2018, five years after that fateful encounter.

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Emt, speaking to reporters in October, said the sport of curling has changed him as a person, mellowing him out. But the existence of the sport as a competitive outlet for athletes with disabilities changed his life.

Emt had been an all-star high school athlete, an Army West Point cadet and a UConn basketball walk-on before a drunk driving incident paralyzed him from the waist down at 25 years old.

“I’m a jock … I need to compete, and I didn’t have anything going on in my life,” Emt said. “Seventeen years after my crash, I had a hole, and then [Colacchio] came along and stalked me into the sport.”

By that point, Emt had spent years working as a middle school math teacher, a high school basketball coach and a motivational speaker. The latter has been his full-time job for almost a decade, taking him to over 100 schools across the country each year. He tells those teenagers about the chance Colacchio took on him, encouraging them to “be a Tony.”

“Go sit with that kid at lunch that’s sitting alone … smile [at] somebody in a hallway, get your heads out of your phones, get your heads out of the sand,” he continued. “We’re all going through something … and a simple ‘hello’ or ‘good morning,’ it could change their day. It could change somebody’s life.”

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Why Emt now shares his story 

This is the third Paralympics for Emt, who is already eyeing Salt Lake City 20

This is the third Paralympics for Emt, who is already eyeing Salt Lake City 2034.

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Emt wasn’t always so willing to open up. For the first half a year after his 1995 crash, he told everyone a deer had run in front of his car rather than admit he had gotten behind the wheel drunk.

“I was lying to myself, I was lying to everybody around me,” he said. “I didn’t want kids to look at me in my hometown, in the state, and everyone around the country, as a drunk driver. I wanted them to look at me as a stud athlete and a great person.”

Emt had been a “stud athlete”: His talents in high school basketball, soccer and baseball made him a star in his hometown of Hebron, Conn., and earned him a spot on the basketball team at West Point.

But he dropped out two years later, after his father’s sudden death from a heart attack. He went home to Connecticut and eventually enrolled at UConn, where he walked on to its storied basketball team, joining future NBA greats like Donyell Marshall. Emt says, with a chuckle, that he had 38.7 seconds of playing time in his two years.

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Emt was wearing his Big East championship jacket the night of his 1995 accident, which he says left him for dead on the side of the highway. When he woke up from a coma a few days later, he learned he would never walk again.

And he didn’t want to tell people why, until a newspaper reporter approached him six months later wanting to tell his story — and encouraged him to be honest. He said the opportunity to “come clean” helped him accept what he’d done and forgive himself.

“That’s my label: Yeah I’m a curler, yeah I’m a speaker, yeah I’m a drunk driver,” he said. “I’m in a wheelchair because of a drunk driving crash, and I want you to know it and I want you to learn from me.”

Emt first got into motivational speaking about eight months after his accident, and has been doing it ever since. He calls it his therapy.

He says that and curling — which is about shaking hands with competitors instead of smack-talking them — has helped him slow down and appreciate the little things. Relocating to Wisconsin and the chiller pace of Midwest life has also helped. And he says he cherishes the platform that curling has given him.

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“I want people to know: ‘Hey, when you’re ready to talk, I’m here for you.’ This is what I do, from my speaking to my curling, whatever it is, there are so many opportunities to be successful again,” he said. “When you wake up and you’re told you’re never going to walk again, it’s like, what do I do now? … And I just want people to know that there are so many avenues out there, so many things to do.”

Emt, the oldest Paralympian on Team USA, originally aimed to make it to three Games. But he’s now eyeing even more, as he’d like to compete on home turf in Salt Lake City in 2034 (two Games away).

“I’m going to be like 90 years old competing at the Paralympics,” he laughed.

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Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City

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Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Eastern. The New York Times

A minor, 2.3-magnitude earthquake struck about 12 miles north of New York City on Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The temblor happened at 10:17 a.m. Eastern in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., data from the agency shows.

The Westchester County emergency services department said in a statement that it had not received any reports of damage.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

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Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Eastern. Shake data is as of Tuesday, March 10 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Tuesday, March 10 at 2:18 p.m. Eastern.

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Ed Martin, outspoken Justice Department lawyer, is formally accused of ethical violations | CNN Politics

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Ed Martin, outspoken Justice Department lawyer, is formally accused of ethical violations | CNN Politics

Ed Martin, an outspoken Trump administration official, is facing attorney discipline proceedings in Washington, DC, for a letter he sent to Georgetown Law about its diversity programs, the district’s professional conduct investigator announced on Tuesday.

Martin is formally accused of violating his ethical codes as an attorney for telling Georgetown Law’s dean last year that his Justice Department office wouldn’t hire students because of the school’s diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives programs, according to the filing from Hamilton Fox, the disciplinary counsel for DC who acts as a quasi-prosecutor on attorney discipline matters.

Unlike unsolicited complaints, Fox’s formal disciplinary complaint kicks off professional conduct proceedings for Martin in which he will need to respond and could be sanctioned or ultimately lose his law license.

Fox’s announcement on Tuesday marks the first major bar discipline proceeding against a high-profile administration official or attorney supporting President Donald Trump during Trump’s second term. Several Trump lawyers faced disciplinary proceedings after the efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, including Rudy Giuliani, who lost his law license.

“Acting in his official capacity and speaking on behalf of the government, he used coercion to punish or suppress a disfavored viewpoint, the teaching and promotion of ‘DEI,’” Fox wrote in the complaint. “He demanded that Georgetown Law relinquish its free speech and religious rights in order to continue to obtain a benefit, employment opportunities for its students.”

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Martin was removed from the top prosecutor job in DC after senators made clear he would not be confirmed to the role, but has remained at the Justice Department in several roles, including as pardon attorney.

“Mr. Martin knew or should have known that, as a government official, his conduct violated the First and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States,” Fox wrote.

Martin is being represented by a Justice Department attorney, a source told CNN.

A spokesperson for DOJ attacked Fox’s complaint. “The DC bar’s attempt to target and punish those serving President Trump while refusing to investigate or act against actual ethical violations that were committed by Biden and Obama administration attorneys is a clear indication of this partisan organization’s agenda,” DOJ said.

Martin had sent the letter to Georgetown Law while serving temporarily as US attorney for DC, a prominent Justice Department position, and told the school his federal prosecutors’ office wouldn’t hire Georgetown’s law school students. It came at a time when the Trump administration was beginning to crack down on universities for their DEI efforts.

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In his letter, Martin claimed a whistleblower told him that the school was teaching and promoting DEI.

Martin also violated attorney ethics rules by contacting judges of the DC court directly, Fox alleged, rather than going through official channels, once he was informed he was under investigation for his professional conduct. The DC Court of Appeals ultimately signs off on attorney discipline findings.

Early last year, Fox’s office had formally asked Martin to respond to a complaint it received by a retired judge regarding the Georgetown letter.

Martin instead wrote to the judges on the DC court complaining about Fox.

“In that letter, he stated that he would not be responding to Disciplinary Counsel’s inquiry, complained about Disciplinary Counsel’s ‘uneven behavior,’ and requested a ‘face-to-face meeting with all of you to discuss this matter and find a way forward,’” Fox wrote.

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“He copied the White House Counsel ‘for informational purposes because of the importance of getting this issue addressed,’” Fox said.

The top judge in the DC courts told Martin the court wouldn’t meet with him about the disciplinary matter and that he would need to follow procedure.

With Fox’s complaint, there will now be several steps ahead of bar discipline authorities looking at Martin’s action, and Fox didn’t specify how Martin should be reprimanded or punished if the discipline boards and the court ultimately determine he violated his ethical codes.

Spokespeople for the Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday morning.

In recent days, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced her office would have a more powerful role in reviewing attorney discipline complaints against Justice Department attorneys, potentially setting up an approach that could keep the department at odds with the bar on behalf of DOJ attorneys facing their own individual disciplinary proceedings.

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CNN’s Paula Reid contributed to this report.

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