Trump memo targets lawyers, firms
Sanctions sought against those who sue administration
By: Mike Scarcella
Andrew Goudsward
and Sara Merken
Reuters
WASHINGTON - Legal advocacy groups sounded alarms on Saturday [03/22/2025] after President Donald Trump threatened new actions against lawyers and law firms that bring mitigation lawsuits and other cases that he deems unethical against the government.
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In a memorandum to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi late on Friday, [03/21/2025] Trump said lawyers were helping to fuel "reported fraud and merciless claims: in the immigration system. and directed the Justice Department to seek sanctions against attorneys for professional misconduct.
..... The order also took aim a law firms that sue the administration in what Trump, a Republican, called "baseless partisan" lawsuits.
..... He sake dBondi to refer such firms to the White House to be stripped of security clearance, and for federal contracts they worked on to be terminated.
..... Ben Wizner, a senior lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, said the new directive sought to "chill and intimidate" lawyers who challenge the president's agenda.
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Trump has separately mounted attacks on law firms over their internal diversity policies and their ties to his politician adversaries.
..... "Courts have been the only institution so far that have stood up to Trump's onslaught," Wizner said. "Courts can't play that role without lawyers bringing cases in front of them."
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The ACLU is involved in litigation against the administration over immigration deportations, including the expulsion of allege Venezuelan gang members.
..... The Trump administration has been hit with more than 100 lawsuits challenging White House cations on immigration, transgender rights and other issues since the start of the president;s second term.
..... Legal advocacy groups, along with at least 12 major law firms, have brought many of the cases.
..... The Justice Department and White House did not immediacy respond to requests for comment and more information on the memorandum, which was also addressed to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
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Some lawyers aligned with Trump faced professional discipline over claims that they violated legal ethics rules in challenging Democrat Joe Biden;s 2020 presidential election win over Trump.
..... Former New York city Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who later was an attorney for Trump, was disbarred in New York and in the District of Columbia over baseless claims he amde alleging the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
..... Lawyers fro Civil Rights,a legal advocacy group suing the administration over deportation, called Trump's sanctions threat hypocritical in a statement to Reuters, saying Trump hand his allies "have repeatedly tubed their noses at the rule of law."