Executive Branch

Chief justice says courts must be free to check ‘excesses’ of Congress, White House

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Wednesday championed the independence and authority of the nation’s judicial system to serve as a check on Congress and the president at a time when federal courts are being attacked by the Trump administration.

May 8, 2025 11:40 AM CDT

BigLaw firms tell Democratic lawmakers they maintained independence in pro bono deals with Trump

Two Democratic lawmakers aren’t satisfied with answers from five BigLaw firms asked to provide information on pro bono deals that they reached with President Donald Trump to avoid punitive executive orders.

May 7, 2025 9:58 AM CDT

Justice Department lawyers face skeptical judges upset by ‘shoddy work’

Justice Department lawyers defending the Trump administration’s policies are encountering mounting criticism and frustration from federal judges, a sign of deepening tension between the executive branch and courts weighing its aggressive uses of power.

May 5, 2025 1:45 PM CDT

‘Let’s kill the lawyers I don’t like’ is Shakespearean approach of Trump order against Perkins Coie, judge says

A federal judge has granted a permanent injunction barring the Trump administration from enforcing a punitive executive order against Perkins Coie.

May 5, 2025 10:38 AM CDT

Boutique law firm is talent pipeline for conservative lawyers

A boutique law firm in Washington, D.C., is advancing conservative causes by filing legal challenges to liberal policies, such as corporate diversity programs, environmental regulations and job protections for transgender people.

May 1, 2025 2:08 PM CDT

Trump executive order calls for pro bono help for law enforcement officers; will BigLaw firms be tapped?

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday intended to empower law enforcement and provide legal resources to officers who “unjustly incur expenses and liabilities” for performing their official duties.

Apr 30, 2025 10:14 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Cases before SCOTUS challenge injunctions against executive orders to end birthright citizenship

Although oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court usually end in April, on May 15, the Supreme Court will hear its first case—the consolidation of three cases—on the merits challenging a Trump administration policy: whether federal district courts erred in granting nationwide injunctions against President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship in the United States.

Apr 30, 2025 9:56 AM CDT

9 in 10 Americans think government branches should be equal, ABA poll finds

Most Americans believe in the U.S. Constitution’s balance of powers, but a significant percentage of Americans want one branch of government to have more power than the others, according to the seventh ABA Survey of Civic Literacy.

Apr 29, 2025 11:17 AM CDT

Skadden improperly limited lawyer access to email distribution lists, group claims in NLRB filing

A workers’ rights group alleges that Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom improperly interfered with protected employee discussions about the law firm's deal with President Donald Trump when it restricted email distribution lists.

Apr 28, 2025 1:19 PM CDT

After US prosecutors mistakenly file confidential memo, is their challenge to congestion pricing doomed?

Federal prosecutors have been kicked off a challenge to congestion pricing in New York City after they mistakenly filed a confidential memo saying the government is “very unlikely” to be successful.

Apr 28, 2025 9:51 AM CDT

‘It’s Time for You to Leave’: More immigration lawyers get notices to self-deport

Immigration lawyers outside Massachusetts are also receiving notices to self-deport, despite their U.S. citizenship.

Apr 25, 2025 9:32 AM CDT

ABA responds to DOJ cuts to grants supporting domestic violence, sexual assault survivors

For nearly 30 years, the ABA Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence has received federal funding to train and offer technical assistance to lawyers who support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. That changed abruptly on April 10.

Apr 24, 2025 12:54 PM CDT

‘Is this a throwback to the McCarthy era?’ Judges consider injunction bids by firms targeted in Trump orders

Two federal judges sharply questioned a government lawyer Wednesday as they considered bids by Perkins Coie and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr to permanently enjoin executive orders that target them and their clients.

Apr 24, 2025 10:57 AM CDT

Supreme Court will consider whether Black landlord can sue over mail said to be intentionally withheld

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether a Texas landlord can sue the U.S. Postal Service for allegedly withholding mail from herself and her tenants because she is Black.

Apr 22, 2025 10:44 AM CDT

Judge in AP case says new White House press policy appears fair

A federal judge in D.C. declined on Friday to grant a motion from the Associated Press, which argued that the White House has disobeyed his order last week forcing the administration to stop banning the news organization’s journalists from attending presidential events because of its decision to continue using the name Gulf of Mexico in its news coverage.

Apr 18, 2025 1:49 PM CDT