WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) today filed an ethics complaint against Senior Assistant Disciplinary Counsel for the D.C. Bar Jack Metzler for showing clear political bias while handling a case against U.S. Pardon Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr.

The matter stems from Metzler’s role as prosecuting counsel in an ethics investigation alleging Martin, then-Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, violated his Constitutional oath by sending letters to Georgetown University Law Center inquiring about potential unlawful diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

As the complaint states, “He openly executed an enforcement action against a political actor for legal, political duties while he covertly held vitriolic political animus against him.”

Before taking on the case, Metzler repeatedly posted anti-conservative messages on the same Bluesky account he used for official D.C. Bar work, including:

• Posting that “It is unethical to engage with anti-vaxxers and people who claim there is a debate about birthright citizenship. Some ideas are so toxic the only permissible response is shunning and perhaps ridicule”;
• Calling Justice Alito a “Natural Born Fool”;
• Stating that “every Justice except Jackson is dead to [him]”;
• Bemoaning that “We are so cooked” on one of many occasions that the D.C. Circuit recently vacated an order by Chief Judge Boasberg; and
• Quipping that “SCOTUS be like oh we don’t care if u disappear people off the street.”

Metzler withdrew from the Martin case after the old social media posts became public in May 2026.

“CASA has filed a bar complaint against Jack Metzler due to his outrageous statements related to his partisan political beliefs which show potential bias and inability to act as a neutral arbiter of the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct,” said CASA Director James Fitzpatrick. 

 

“To think that someone as partisan as Metzler was put on the frivolous and politically motivated case related to Ed Martin is disturbing. Thankfully he has been removed from that matter, but we are hopeful for an investigation related to his political bias is immediately initiated.”