National Security

Supreme Court maintains block on Trump’s use of Alien Enemies Act for deportations

A divided Supreme Court on Friday kept a block on the Trump administration’s use of a rarely invoked wartime power to deport migrants in Northern Texas and said administration officials had not given those targeted for removal last month sufficient time to challenge their deportations.

May 16, 2025 5:18 PM CDT

US suspends security clearances for lawyers at WilmerHale, Jenner as they challenge Trump orders

Updated: The Trump administration has suspended security clearances for two lawyers at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr and one lawyer at Jenner & Block, law firms that sued after they were targeted in punitive executive orders.

May 14, 2025 2:42 PM CDT

Justice Jackson rips ‘relentless attacks’ on judges

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson denounced what she called “relentless attacks” on the federal judiciary, saying efforts to intimidate judges were threatening the Constitution and the rule of law. “The attacks are not random,” Jackson said. “They seem designed to intimidate those of us who serve in this critical capacity.”

May 2, 2025 8:10 AM 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

Revoking security clearances includes due process, which is not being followed, says whistleblower lawyer

Whistleblower lawyer Mark Zaid tells the ABA Journal in an interview that his security clearance has recently been revoked by the Trump administration. A registered independent, Zaid says he has never been involved in “a meaningful” way with any political party. “I am strictly a lawyer who represents clients.”

Apr 7, 2025 10:27 AM CDT

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

Meet the federal judge labeled ‘radical left lunatic’ by Trump, derided by DOJ for ‘micromanaged’ request

A federal judge facing President Donald Trump’s ire because of his rulings on deportation authority was once a housemate with Brett Kavanaugh, a future U.S. Supreme Court justice, at Yale Law School.

Mar 20, 2025 8:50 AM CDT

Paul Weiss is latest law firm targeted by Trump administration

President Donald Trump has expanded his attacks on private law firms, saying in an executive order Friday he would end “government sponsorship of harmful activity” by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Mar 17, 2025 10:30 AM CDT

Trump strips security clearances at law firm with ties to Jack Smith

President Donald Trump is targeting Covington & Burling, which is representing former special counsel Jack Smith, issuing a directive that would strip some of its lawyers of their security clearances and examine the firm’s government contracts.

Feb 26, 2025 10:15 AM CST

This ‘reinvigorated’ doctrine could be used to challenge Trump’s tariffs

Importers and others who want to challenge tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump could argue that he doesn’t have that power—but the argument isn’t a slam dunk, legal experts say.

Feb 5, 2025 11:59 AM CST

Chemerinsky: SCOTUS failed to address whether Chinese access to TikTok data is real national security threat

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Jan. 17 upholding the federal law banning TikTok continues a long history of judicial deference to claims of national security. The ruling upholds a federal statute that bans a medium of communication that is used by more than 170 million people in the United States. The speech of all who generate content for it and all who receive it is restricted by this law. It is difficult to think of any law in American history that restricted so much speech for so many people.

Jan 29, 2025 2:58 PM CST

Welcome to the 119th Congress

As the dust settles from the 2024 election, the political landscape in Washington, D.C., has undergone a significant transformation. The Republican Party now controls all three branches of the U.S. government, marking a pivotal shift in governance and policy direction.

Jan 29, 2025 9:48 AM CST

11 ABA advocacy wins from the 118th Congress

Although the 118th Congress may be remembered as one of the turbulent and least productive in modern history, the ABA Governmental Affairs Office achieved notable legislative successes through close collaboration with ABA leadership, entities and advocacy partners. These efforts were further complemented by substantial progress on various policy issues before federal agencies, commissions and other administrative bodies in the last two years that impact the legal profession, access to justice and the rule of law.

Jan 29, 2025 8:46 AM CST

Can Trump administration hold back federal grants? Federal statute, Constitution could be impediments

Updated: The Trump administration’s temporary pause on federal grants has been rescinded, but reviews of funding continue.

Jan 29, 2025 8:44 AM CST

As Jan. 6 leaders call for retribution, judges warn against revisionism

Two newly freed leaders of the far-right Proud Boys and Oath Keepers groups called for investigations into the prosecution of people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, assailing judges, jurors and prosecutors as they sought “retribution” after being granted clemency from President Donald Trump.

Jan 23, 2025 4:04 PM CST