Federal Government

Continued suspension of diversity standard suggested by ABA Legal Ed committee

The suspension of ABA accreditation Standard 206, originally titled “Diversity and Inclusion,” should be extended until Aug. 31, 2026, according to a May 2 memo from the standards committee of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

May 5, 2025 1:49 PM 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

Civil rights lawyers leave en masse as Justice Dept. mission shifts

The new head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is dramatically reshaping the office to propel President Donald Trump’s social agenda, prompting the departure of about half of the division’s lawyers in recent weeks.

Apr 29, 2025 1:30 PM CDT

Harvard Law Review investigated for alleged ‘spoils system’ that uses race in article selection

The federal government has opened an investigation into the Harvard Law Review “based on reports of race-based discrimination permeating the operations of the journal,” according to an April 28 press release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Apr 29, 2025 12:13 PM 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

Acting US attorney once orchestrated Facebook posts criticizing judge presiding in his case, report says

The acting U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., formerly helped ghostwrite posts criticizing a judge presiding in a civil case in which he was the defendant, according to lawsuit documents cited by ProPublica.

Apr 28, 2025 11:12 AM 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

Wisconsin judge arrested by FBI, charged with obstructing immigrant arrest

Federal prosecutors have charged a Milwaukee judge with obstructing an immigration arrest operation—a significant escalation of Justice Department efforts to prosecute local officials for allegedly interfering with immigration enforcement.

Apr 25, 2025 12:15 PM 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

Did 9 firms making deals with Trump violate bribery, anti-fraud laws? Democratic letters seek answers

Sixteen Democratic lawmakers have sent letters to nine law firms that ask them to disavow deals with President Donald Trump and to answer questions about their legality.

Apr 24, 2025 2:26 PM CDT