Rule of Law

Executive orders against firms threaten rule of law, Susman Godfrey says in suit against Trump administration

Updated: Susman Godfrey has alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday that President Donald Trump’s campaign of executive orders targeting the law firm and other well-known firms is an unconstitutional threat to the rule of law.

Apr 14, 2025 12:39 PM CDT

‘There is no question that we will fight,’ says latest law firm targeted in Trump executive order

The latest law firm targeted by the Trump administration, Susman Godfrey, won’t be the last, President Donald Trump said Wednesday.

Apr 10, 2025 10:26 AM CDT

ABA Day 2025: Your voice, your advocacy, your impact

ABA Day is more than an event—it is a chance for the legal profession to show its commitment to the communities we serve. Through a dynamic combination of ABA Day in Washington and ABA Day Online, members will advocate for critical legal issues.

Apr 9, 2025 6:00 AM CDT

Which firms, legal groups, law profs signed briefs supporting Perkins Coie in challenge to punitive Trump order?

Amicus briefs supporting Perkins Coie are piling up in its challenge to a punitive order against the law firm signed by President Donald Trump.

Apr 8, 2025 8:52 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Whistleblower lawyer Mark Zaid tells the ABA Journal in an interview that his security clearance has recently been revoked by the Trump administration.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

‘Our Finest Hour’: ABA ‘will not shrink from the things we believe in,’ President Bill Bay says

While 2025 will bring changes to the organization and challenges to the rule of law, the American Bar Association will continue to do its work “safeguarding the fundamental American values of due process and access to justice,” ABA President Bill Bay said in February in a speech to the ABA House of Delegates at the midyear meeting in Phoenix.

Apr 1, 2025 12:40 AM CDT

1st Circuit refuses to lift block on Trump’s freeze on state grants during challenge

A Rhode Island federal judge’s order requiring President Donald Trump to keep appropriated grant flowing to the states will remain undisturbed during appeal after a federal appeals court declined to issue a stay.

Mar 31, 2025 3:51 PM CDT

Second, third associate quit Skadden after firm reaches settlement to avoid becoming Trump target

Updated: A second and third associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom have left the law firm amid disagreements over its reaction to President Donald Trump’s punitive actions against disfavored firms.

Mar 31, 2025 3:09 PM CDT

ABA, more than 50 bar associations condemn ‘government actions that seek to twist the scales of justice’

More than 50 state, local and specialty bar associations have joined with the ABA to “defend the rule of law and reject efforts to undermine the courts and the legal profession.”

Mar 26, 2025 9:43 AM CDT

Federal judge’s warning about potential violence after Trump’s comments was not ethics violation, 3rd Circuit says

A federal judge didn't violate ethics rules when he commented about the potential for violence when “people in positions of authority” make negative comments about a judge or the judge’s family members, according to a federal appellate judicial council.

Mar 25, 2025 3:29 PM 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

2 firms speak out after Trump seeks lawyer sanctions for ‘unreasonable and vexatious’ suits against US

Two law firms have issued statements criticizing President Donald Trump after he issued a memo late Friday calling for sanctions, ethics referrals and reassessment of security clearances against lawyers and firms that engage in “frivolous, unreasonable and vexatious litigation” against the United States.

Mar 24, 2025 11:20 AM CDT

ABA Day 2025: Advocacy for every lawyer, everywhere

For decades, ABA Day has brought together legal professionals from across the country to advocate for critical issues affecting the legal profession and access to justice. In 2025, we are expanding this tradition to ensure that every lawyer—whether in Washington, online, or at home—can play an active role in shaping the future of the law.

Mar 20, 2025 3:00 PM 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

Judge orders DOGE to stop efforts to dismantle USAID

A federal judge in Maryland on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking billionaire Elon Musk and the U.S. DOGE Service from taking any further actions to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Mar 18, 2025 5:00 PM CDT