Justice Denied: Trump Administration Continues Unprecedented Attacks On The Rule Of Law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2025
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Washington, DC – In fewer than 100 days, President Trump and his administration have conducted near daily distortions of the rule of law and shameless efforts to further his extreme agenda by any means necessary. Already this week, that defiance took the form of unprecedented attacks against lawyers, law firms, and the legal community in Trump’s quest to amass unchecked power, at the expense of ordinary people and the legal system that protects them.
On Monday, Susman Godfrey joined the ranks of the few Big Law firms willing to stand their ground against Trump’s unconstitutional executive-order-fueled pressure campaign to intimidate and control the legal profession. As occurred in the other suits brought against the orders, a federal judge sided with the firm, making clear in a ruling that “the government is purely trying to control what private lawyers do.”
But Trump’s assault on the rule of law is much bigger than just targeting law firms.
Trump has directly flouted and defied multiple court orders and now, after a Supreme Court order required him to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a legal resident in the U.S. who was raising his family in Maryland, from a dangerous Salvadoran prison—a federal judge found that he had done virtually nothing towards that.
And, separately, on Wednesday, federal Judge Boasberg even ruled that there is “probable cause” to hold Trump administration officials in criminal contempt of court for violating a previous order regarding the Alien Enemies Act. Judge Boasberg noted that if the Department of Justice declines to prosecute the case, he could appoint an outside firm to do so.
And more under-the-radar efforts show just how wide-ranging Trump’s efforts are. Despite repeatedly saying during his campaign that he would “protect the women of this country,” the Office on Violence Against Women in his Department of Justice terminated all grants awarded to the American Bar Association – a move that directly hurts survivors of domestic and sexual violence and will deter countless others from pursuing career paths to defend women in these cases.
Please see below for the latest coverage of the Trump administration’s unprecedented attacks on the rule of law:
Reuters: Judge blocks most of Trump order against Susman Godfrey, laments law firms ‘capitulating’
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked most of Donald Trump’s executive order targeting law firm Susman Godfrey, part of the Republican U.S. president’s campaign against the legal industry, and lamented that other firms have been “capitulating” to what she called his coercion and abuse of power.
Washington-based U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan issued a temporary restraining order halting provisions of Trump’s directive that threatened to cancel federal contracts held by Susman Godfrey’s clients and restricted access by its lawyers to government buildings and officials.
“The government is purely trying to control what private lawyers may do, which I do not think will withstand constitutional scrutiny,” the judge said at a hearing.
Susman Godfrey sued the administration on Friday, arguing that Trump’s order violated the firm’s rights to free speech, due process and other protections under the U.S. Constitution.
The Hill: White House: Abrego Garcia deportation to El Salvador ‘always going to be end result’
The White House asserted Tuesday there was no scenario in which a Maryland man whose deportation to El Salvador has made national headlines and spurred court battles would end up living a “peaceful life” back in the United States. […]
“Deporting him back to El Salvador was always going to be the end result. There is never going to be a world in which this is an individual who is going to live a peaceful life in Maryland,” Leavitt told reporters at a briefing. […]
The Supreme Court last week determined the Trump administration must “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia. So far, there’s been no indication that the administration has taken any action that could help lead to his return.
New— Trump’s crusade against the American Bar Association continues, this time terminating all grants via DOJ’s Office of Violence Against Women.
This morning a webinar on trauma-informed representation was canceled moments before starting. ABA sent email attachment to participants (shared w/ me):
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