Civil Rights

Trump administration invokes state secrets privilege for deportation flights, disputes Nazi analogy

Government lawyers are arguing that the state secrets privilege protects the Trump administration from divulging details about deportation flights to El Salvador in Central America, and that the Venezuelans aboard weren’t entitled to notice that would give them time for a hearing.

Mar 25, 2025 11:02 AM CDT

As DOJ employees fear what comes next, alums form group to help

A career federal litigator who left the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January founded the Justice Connection, an organization that supports the department’s current and former employees.

Mar 25, 2025 8:48 AM CDT

How firms use AI, financial, remote work technology examined in AffiniPay ‘2025 Legal Industry Report’

Benchmark data can prove to be invaluable when making decisions about the future of your law firm. Understanding how others in the legal profession are using technology to streamline workflows and increase revenues can make all the difference.

Mar 21, 2025 1:51 PM CDT

EEOC chair requested ‘extensive’ info from law firms on DEI practices and hiring; did it cross a line?

Lawyers and legal experts are expressing concerns that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s recent request for comprehensive information about diversity, equity and inclusion-related employment practices at major law firms is not only invasive but also exceeds its authority.

Mar 20, 2025 1:13 PM CDT

Diversity references scrubbed from BigLaw websites amid DEI probes; informal guidance issued

BigLaw firms are scrubbing diversity mentions from their websites and reexamining policies amid the Trump administration’s attack on diversity, equity and inclusion programs that it considers to be illegal.

Mar 20, 2025 11:57 AM CDT

Once-homeless University of Chicago law grad getting treatment, hopes to return to law practice

A University of Chicago Law School graduate who lived for two years on the streets of Los Angeles has moved back home with his mother in Virginia and hopes to resume law practice.

Mar 19, 2025 12:41 PM CDT

Trump’s deportation push tests courts’ ability to check his power

The Trump administration Monday insisted it had not violated a court order by expelling hundreds of alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang to El Salvador for imprisonment, even as a federal judge ordered a halt to some deportations.

Mar 17, 2025 9:44 AM CDT

Danny Ortega has advocated for farmworkers and immigrants in Arizona for decades

For five decades, Daniel R. Ortega Jr. has remained steadfast in his advocacy for and empowerment of farm workers and the larger immigrant community in Arizona. In January, he was awarded the inaugural Impacto Award by the ABA Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities.

Mar 17, 2025 9:00 AM CDT

Trump asks Supreme Court to OK partial plan to end birthright citizenship

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow U.S. officials to begin implementing a partial plan to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants and foreign visitors.

Mar 13, 2025 3:40 PM CDT

ABA rapid-response series explains evolving legal and policy concerns

In a new rapid-response project, the ABA is providing guidance on pressing legal and policy issues that have unfolded under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Mar 13, 2025 11:24 AM CDT

Trump order targeting Perkins Coie is ‘affront to the Constitution,’ suit says; judge sees ‘chilling harm of blizzard proportions’

Updated: Perkins Coie has won a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration over a directive targeting the law firm and its clients.

Mar 13, 2025 9:56 AM CDT

Third federal appeals court rejects Trump administration bid on birthright citizenship

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Boston on Tuesday refused to allow President Donald Trump’s order on birthright citizenship to take effect, joining two other federal appeals courts that also ruled against the administration on the issue.

Mar 12, 2025 12:05 PM CDT

Supreme Court will review Colorado ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether a Colorado ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors—which aims to change sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling—violates the First Amendment.

Mar 10, 2025 1:38 PM CDT

Trump order blocks public service loan forgiveness for employees of ‘activist organizations’

Employees of “activist organizations” that support activities with a “substantial illegal purpose” should no longer be eligible for a student loan forgiveness program for borrowers in public service jobs, according to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Friday.

Mar 10, 2025 11:18 AM CDT

You don’t need DEI programs to have diverse workplaces, say employment lawyers

Having DEI programs could come with litigation risks and press coverage that might result in lost customers, even if the program violates no laws, say lawyers interviewed by the ABA Journal. For companies and nonprofits planning to keep or add such programs, they advise various compliance practices.

Mar 6, 2025 11:31 AM CST