Rule of Law

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

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

Ruling in ABA suit, SCOTUS denies US bid to vacate deadline for foreign-aid payments; Alito is ‘stunned’

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to vacate a judge’s Feb. 26 deadline for the United States to make foreign-aid payments for work already completed in connection with grants and contracts.

Mar 5, 2025 10:33 AM CST

Averting immediate showdown, chief justice pauses judge’s deadline for US to restore foreign-aid funds

The U.S. government doesn’t have to comply with a federal judge’s Wednesday night deadline to restore foreign-aid funds after Chief Justice John Roberts issued an administrative stay in the matter.

Feb 27, 2025 10:36 AM CST

Contempt sought against US officials for alleged ‘brazen defiance’ of court order on foreign-aid funds

Updated: U.S. government defendants showed alleged “brazen defiance” of a federal judge’s order requiring continued funding of many foreign-aid programs and should be held in civil contempt, according to an emergency motion filed in one of two consolidated lawsuits.

Feb 20, 2025 11:17 AM CST

Ruling in ABA lawsuit, federal judge blocks pause on foreign aid but does not order Trump to act

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has issued a temporary restraining order that allows some foreign assistance programs to continue, for now, in a lawsuit filed by the American Bar Association and other plaintiffs.

Feb 18, 2025 12:11 PM CST

ABA President Bay denounces ‘chaotic’ attacks on the rule of law

ABA President Bill Bay has condemned the Trump administration’s extensive attacks on the rule of law. The association announced Tuesday it has joined two legal challenges to the funding freezes on USAID and federally funded immigration programs.

Feb 11, 2025 4:00 PM CST