Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, along with a coalition of 21 attorneys general, has issued an open letter to the legal community. The letter warns against attempts by the Trump administration to deter lawyers from challenging its actions or representing clients disfavored by the administration. The attorneys general urge legal professionals to resist bullying and uphold their professional values.
“Our founding fathers designed a government with coequal branches to ensure checks and balances,” Nessel stated. “Yet, Donald Trump’s latest attempt to exert unchecked authority, undermining the rule of law and intimidating lawyers who challenge his administration’s illegal actions, fundamentally betrays the principles on which our nation was built."
The coalition argues that the administration's actions are an abuse of authority and an attack on legal practice. They highlight executive orders targeting five law firms for ideological differences, punishing them for representing clients opposed to President Trump or his supporters. A recent memorandum threatens all law firms litigating against the federal government.
Trump's measures include canceling government contracts with targeted firms, revoking security clearances for their attorneys, barring them from public buildings, and violating client privacy by mandating disclosure of contracts with these firms. Individual attorneys have been condemned for representing clients challenging Trump's actions.
One order calls for investigations into law firms with diversity programs. This has led one firm to comply with demands such as abandoning diversity practices and providing $40 million in pro bono work supporting Trump's causes.
The attorneys general emphasize that lawyers should not succumb to intimidation by dropping clients or avoiding certain cases due to fear of retribution. They assert that they will not allow political attacks against law firms holding differing viewpoints.
Attorney General Nessel and her colleagues also condemn attacks on federal judges ruling against Trump and his allies. They call on the legal community to oppose such attacks, including impeachment threats against judges.
Joining Nessel in this initiative are attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island,Vermont,and Washington.