Attorney General Kathy Jennings, co-leading a coalition of 21 attorney generals, issued Wednesday an open letter to the legal community warning of illegal attempts by the Trump administration to deter lawyers from challenging the administration’s actions or representing politically disfavored clients.
The letter, addressed to the country’s 100 largest law firms, calls on the legal community to resist attempts at bullying or retribution and to uphold the values of their profession.
“Lawyers have never had a more important job,” said Attorney General Jennings. “The law is fundamentally a promise of fairness. Without it, there is no justice, no democracy, no market, no trust — in essence, no America. Attorneys are the people who ensure that promise lives and breathes. That’s why the only private occupations named in the Constitution are lawyers and journalists, and it’s why President Trump is targeting them. For this country to survive, all of us have to be resolute in spite of—indeed, because of—his threats.”
Jennings and the coalition lay out the administration’s pattern of unconstitutional actions, gross abuse of authority, and attacks on the practice of law—including recent executive orders targeting five law firms, seeking retribution over ideological differences and the actions of individual attorneys representing clients adverse to the president or his supporters. President Trump also issued a memorandum last week threatening all law firms and lawyers that engage in litigation against the federal government.
Trump’s actions cancel all government contracts with the targeted firms, strip all of the firms’ attorneys of their security clearances and threaten the same against any firm that dares to step out of line. The orders bar lawyers from the firms from public buildings and violate client privacy, including mandating that clients disclose their contracts with the targeted firms. President Trump also singled out individual attorneys for condemnation because the attorney represented clients who challenged his administration’s actions.
In addition, one of the orders calls on the U.S. attorney general, in consultation with state attorneys general, to “investigate” law firms that have programs or policies focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. Jennings and the coalition refuse this call.
The chilling effect of these actions was quickly demonstrated as one targeted firm has already given in to the administration’s demands by agreeing to, among other things, abandon diversity, equity and inclusion practices, and provide $40 million in pro bono work on causes supported by President Trump.
In their letter, the attorneys general note that lawyers have an obligation to uphold the rule of law and should not give in to intimidation by dropping clients or refusing to take on certain cases due to fear of retribution. They encourage firms to stand strong and support their colleagues. The coalition also makes clear that they will not allow their offices to be used for political attacks against law firms that hold viewpoints unfavored by the administration.
Finally, Jennings and the attorneys general condemn the administration’s baseless attacks on federal judges who have ruled against President Trump and his allies. The coalition urges the entire legal community to speak out against such attacks, including calls for the impeachment of judges who rule against the administration’s actions.
AG Jennings and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul led the coalition. Joining Jennings and Raoul are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhone Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
Original source can be found here.