• Diane Seltzer wins D.C. Bar presidency with over 90% of the vote.
• Brad Bondi, brother of Attorney General Pam Bondi, received just 9.1% of votes.
• Election saw unprecedented voter turnout with over 38,600 ballots cast.
• Bondi accused opponents of smearing his reputation throughout the campaign.
• Seltzer's campaign focused on maintaining the independence of the D.C. Bar.

Diane Seltzer has overwhelmingly won the presidency of the D.C. Bar Association, defeating Brad Bondi, with Seltzer garnering 34,982 votes (90.9%) compared to Bondi's 3,490 votes (9.1%). The election, which drew unprecedented turnout with over 38,600 ballots cast, represents more than five times the average participation in past elections, illustrating the heightened engagement from D.C. Bar members, according to NPR and The Hill.

Seltzer, who runs The Seltzer Law Firm, emphasized the importance of transparency and integrity throughout her campaign. “We have a Bar full of lawyers who care about making sure their leadership reflects their values,” Seltzer stated, highlighting the necessity for leaders committed to maintaining the rule of law without fear of retaliation, as reported by India Times and Newsweek.

Bondi, a partner at Paul Hastings and brother of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, expressed disappointment following his loss, framing the election as a victim of "baseless attacks, identity politics, and partisan recrimination." He claimed that his candidacy was subjected to dubious allegations linking him to the Trump administration's influence in the legal profession, which raised alarms among voters concerned about political entanglement in the D.C. Bar, according to HuffPost and India Times.

The election results, which saw Bondi trailing by nearly 30,000 votes, indicate a strong preference among members of the D.C. Bar for leadership that prioritizes independence from political pressures. "This race was supposed to focus on ideas," Bondi lamented, while critics argue his defeat reflects a broader pushback against perceived partisanship in legal institutions, as noted by HuffPost, The Hill, and Newsweek.