The Trump administration has unveiled a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign officials accused of censoring online speech, with language closely mirroring complaints against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Known for ordering the removal of hundreds of right-wing social media accounts in defense of Brazil’s democracy, Moraes is hailed by the left and …
Arnon Nampa, a Thai human rights lawyer and pro-democracy activist, has been repeatedly sentenced under Thailand’s lèse-majesté law for peacefully advocating for monarchy reform. As of May 2025, he is serving over 24 years in prison, with more charges pending that could raise his sentence to 140 years. His convictions stem from public speeches, online …
As threats against federal judges surge amid escalating rhetoric from President Trump, calls are growing to transfer authority over judicial security from the U.S. Marshals Service to the federal judiciary itself. In a PBS NewsHour interview aired on May 27, 2025, former federal judge Jeremy Fogel described the unprecedented atmosphere of hostility, stressing the psychological …
In a landmark ruling, a federal court struck down a 2025 Executive Order issued by President Trump targeting WilmerHale, a prominent law firm, as unconstitutional. The court found that the Order—part of a broader pattern of Executive actions against law firms perceived as adversarial—was a retaliatory measure that violated WilmerHale’s First and Fifth Amendment rights. …
Despite increasing authoritarian control over the judiciary, Turkish activist lawyers such as the Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği strategically engage with the legal system as a form of grassroots resistance that challenges and redefines state-imposed legal boundaries.
A United Nations expert has raised concerns over the growing use of criminal law by Guatemala’s Prosecutor General’s Office to target opponents of the current justice system. Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, reported that former prosecutors, judges, human rights defenders, and journalists are increasingly facing criminal charges, …
Four high-profile litigators — Karen Dunn, Bill Isaacson, Jessica Phillips, and Jeannie Rhee — have left elite law firm Paul Weiss to start a new firm unencumbered by restrictions stemming from the firm’s recent deal with the Trump administration. Their departure follows internal tensions over an agreement that critics say could limit the firm’s independence …
Human Rights Watch reports that prominent anti-corruption lawyer Ruth López remains in pretrial detention in El Salvador with her case under judicial seal one year after her arrest, and is urging Salvadoran authorities to grant her a prompt, open, and fair trial, lift the secrecy on her case file, and allow her regular contact with …
In Persuasion, law professor Rebecca Roiphe argues that decades of critical legal theory have undermined the legal profession’s ability to defend against Trump’s authoritarian legal agenda. Rooted in 1970s-era legal academia, the idea that law is merely a tool of power has shaped generations of lawyers. Trump’s view of law—as something to weaponize for political …
As former President Donald Trump begins a second term, Washington is witnessing the rapid emergence of new law firms aimed at defending civil servants and government critics caught in the administration’s sweeping crackdown. In just two weeks, at least three firms have been launched by former Justice Department lawyers and litigators. These firms—including the Civil …