On Friday afternoon, Liberty University Law School circulated an email to its first- and second-year students promoting what it called an “exciting opportunity to intern with the Department of Labor in DC.” The positions reportedly span a wide range of DOL work — including “litigation, appeals, regulations, policy, etc.” The message, sent by Derek Green, an associate director at the law school, emphasized that students selected for the program “will make incredible connections that will payoff [sic] later.” For second-year students in particular, the internship “could lead to a full-time job offer for after your 2027 graduation.”
But the opportunity appeared to come with a significant political requirement: applicants were expected to be enthusiastic supporters of President Trump. Students who “aligned politically with President Trump” and were “willing to work hard” were urged to apply, even if their academic performance was weak.
The email was shared with Popular Information by a source who requested anonymity, citing fears of retaliation from the university. When reached by phone, Green said he could not comment without permission from Edie Swann, Liberty University Law School’s Director of Public Affairs. Swann did not respond to an emailed request seeking comment.
Portions of Green’s message were first highlighted by the legal blog Above the Law.
Liberty University — the conservative Christian school in Lynchburg, Virginia founded by Jerry Falwell Sr. — has long been closely aligned with Trump’s political orbit. Falwell Jr., who took over leadership of the university following his father’s death in 2007, served as an advisor to Trump. Although Falwell Jr. resigned after a sexual scandal in 2020, the university has continued to function as a major bridge between Trump’s administration and the evangelical movement.
In the email, Green underscored that students interested in the DOL legal internship should “ABSOLUTELY apply,” noting that “the person conducting the interviews is Vittoria D’Addesi, a 2025 graduate of Liberty Law, along with a representative of the White House Liaison Office.”
Green also explained that D’Addesi would question applicants about their political loyalties, including asking, “[D]id you vote for President Trump?” and “Do you disagree with the President on anything?”
He concluded by stating that his objective was “to get double digit Liberty Law students in this program this summer.”
Attached to Green’s message was a more formal email from D’Addesi herself. In it, she wrote that “[o]nly students who are interested in advancing the President’s initiatives and delivering wins for the American Worker should apply.”
The hiring criteria described in the email has raised serious legal concerns, because federal employment generally cannot be conditioned on a candidate’s political beliefs.
In her message, D’Addesi described the internship as “a political position in which interns will serve the Trump Administration for the duration of their internships.” That wording suggests the Department of Labor may be treating the internships as “Schedule C“ roles, defined as positions that are “confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating.” Under Supreme Court rulings such as Elrod v. Burns, only these types of policy-related roles can legally require political alignment.
However, it would likely be difficult for the Department of Labor to justify classifying low-level summer interns under a “Schedule C” designation. A confidential role, under federal rules, “is identified by its close working relationship with the President, head of an agency, or other key appointed officials who are responsible for furthering the goals and policies of the President and the Administration.” It appears highly unlikely that temporary summer interns would be working directly with agency heads or other senior officials. In addition, interns are typically not responsible for determining, creating, or advocating policy. Green’s own description notes that some of the roles involve routine work like litigation, appeals, and regulations.
Berkley Law Professor Catherine Fisk, an employment law expert, told Popular Information that the process outlined in the Liberty Law email would likely violate federal law regardless of the position’s classification. “Summer clerks, whether Schedule C or not, are not exempt from the requirements of the Hatch Act, which prohibits political tests for hiring,” Fisk said.
A similar controversy erupted in the 2000s over a less overtly political internship screening process within the federal government.
An investigation by the Office of Inspector General found that in 2006 the Department of Justice had improperly tied acceptance into the Summer Law Intern Program and related positions to political ideology. According to the report, candidates were not directly asked about their views, but reviewers attempted to determine their political leanings through the application materials.
Some applicants were rejected after submitting essays containing “leftist commentary and buzz words like ‘environmental justice’ and ‘social justice.’” Others were screened out because of “membership in certain organizations like the American Constitution Society, having a clerkship with a judge who was perceived as a liberal, having worked for a liberal Member of Congress, or having worked for a liberal law school professor.”
Ultimately, the OIG concluded that at least two members of the screening committee “took political or ideological affiliations into account in deselecting candidates in violation of Department policy and federal law.”
Compared with the hiring standards described in the Liberty University email — which openly prioritize loyalty to Trump — critics say those earlier tactics now appear almost restrained.
