One thing's for sure: There's going to be a radical change of style at the French Justice Ministry. No longer will Eric Dupond-Moretti, 63, a former criminal lawyer with a hotheaded temperament and a penchant for verbal sparring, occupy the role of justice minister. The new justice minister – with a very "public finance" profile – has far fewer rough edges: Didier Migaud, 72, an ex-socialist and former president of the Court of Auditors, had been the president of the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP) since 2020. As an important symbol, his name was the first listed in the official protocol order when the government was announced on the evening of Saturday, September 21.

In contrast to Dupond-Moretti's appointment, in July 2020, the main magistrates' union (Union Syndicale des Magistrats, USM) received Migaud's appointment without hostility. At the time of Dupond-Moretti's arrival, the union had described the lawyer's appointment as a "declaration of war." "Didier Migaud has an idea of how the justice system works, through his former position at the head of the Court of Auditors. His place in the protocol order is an interesting indication of the priorities the government intends to give to judicial action," explained Ludovic Friat, president of the USM. "We need these symbols because we're worried about the constitution of the prime minister's office, in which justice has no autonomous service. The fear is that justice would be the interior's accessory."

The second magistrates' union (Syndicat de la Magistrature, SM) was also very cautious, if a little colder, in its reaction to the appointment: "Didier Migaud is best known as a budget expert, and we know nothing about his plans for the justice system, so it's early for reactions. But, amid such a government, particularly with Bruno Retailleau at the interior [ministry], it's doubtful that a humanist and progressive vision of justice can be championed," stated the left-wing organization. "We need a minister who will defend the rule of law in the face of attacks and threats, and who will also defend a strong justice system guaranteeing the equality of all before the law."

The break with the former justice minister is, in fact, manifold. Indeed, Dupond-Moretti had been accused of conflicts of interest as, a few weeks after his appointment to the justice ministry, he ordered the Inspectorate General of Justice (IJG) to conduct administrative investigations against magistrates with whom he had had run-ins when he was a lawyer. A trial even took place before the Court of Justice of the Republic, at the end of which Dupond-Moretti was acquitted. His successor, meanwhile, was tasked with tracking down potential conflicts of interest at the HATVP.

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