On April 7, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison led a coalition of 22 state attorneys general in filing a formal comment opposing a proposed DOJ rule (OAG199) that would require state bar disciplinary authorities to defer investigations into DOJ attorney misconduct to the department’s own internal review process — and would subject states that refuse …
The Trump administration has been engaged in a legal battle against several prominent law firms — Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner & Block, and Susman Godfrey — after issuing executive orders targeting them for representing clients and causes the president opposes. When the firms fought back, federal district courts ruled against the administration, finding the executive …
A coalition of Democratic officials from 23 states, including several state attorneys general and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, has sued the Trump administration over a new executive order that seeks to impose federal control over mail voting, arguing that it violates the Constitution by interfering with states’ authority to administer elections. The order would require …
UN human rights experts issued an urgent appeal on April 2, 2026, demanding Pakistan immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Idris Khattak, who has been detained for over six years following his enforced disappearance in November 2019. Khattak, whose detention was ruled arbitrary by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in November 2025, …
On March 23, 2026, Chinese human rights lawyer Xie Yang was sentenced to five years in prison and fined approximately $14,500 USD by a court in Hunan Province on charges of “inciting subversion of state power.” The conviction was based largely on his social media posts and interviews with foreign media. Xie Yang has a …
The American Bar Association filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in April 2026, urging the court to affirm lower court rulings striking down Trump executive orders that imposed severe sanctions on four law firms — Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey — for representing …
Democratic attorneys general have filed their 100th lawsuit against the Trump administration as part of a coordinated legal strategy, claiming wins in 55 of 67 cases that have reached court rulings so far. The suits span a wide range of issues including environmental regulations, immigration enforcement, withheld congressional funding, and tariffs, with the latest challenge …
On April 1, 2026, prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested without a judicial warrant by security forces who raided her home at night and transferred her to an undisclosed location. Agents also seized personal belongings including phones and laptops without legal authorization. The arrest came while her husband, Reza Khandan, was already …
JURIST reports in April 2026 that UN special rapporteurs publicly urged Türkiye to halt the criminalization of human rights defenders and lawyers, citing seven incidents in the past year in which members or counsel of the Human Rights Association (İHD) were investigated, arrested, or jailed under Türkiye’s broadly drafted anti-terrorism law. The experts called for …
UN human rights experts issued a formal statement on March 31, 2026, urging Turkey to stop criminalizing human rights defenders and lawyers, with particular concern focused on members of the Human Rights Association (İHD). Several İHD members have faced serious legal consequences under Turkey’s broad anti-terrorism laws. One member was convicted for providing small financial …