Lawyers Facilitating Democratic Decline

This American Life #868 — “The Hand That Rocks the Gavel.” Reporters spend weeks inside New York’s immigration court, where ICE detains people in courthouse hallways as immigration judges describe unprecedented pressure from the DOJ …

Nearly five months after nine major U.S. law firms struck deals with former President Donald Trump—pledging a collective $940 million in free legal services—the impact remains unclear. Some firms continue to take cases opposing Trump’s …

Ugandan opposition seeks to nullify law on military prosecution of civilians – The National Unity Platform (NUP), Uganda’s main opposition party, filed a constitutional court case to strike down a new law allowing military tribunals …

A whistleblower complaint made public this week accuses Emil Bove, President Trump’s nominee to the federal appeals court, of suggesting the Justice Department should ignore court orders blocking the deportation of Venezuelan migrants. Former DOJ …

A federal judge in Miami found Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in contempt of court after he defied an order blocking a controversial state immigration law. Despite a February ruling halting enforcement of the law …

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 …

On May 9, 2025, Donald Trump appointed Judge Jeanine Pirro, a former TV personality and county judge, as the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, after withdrawing Ed Martin from consideration. Martin, previously …

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has accused far-right groups and segments of the judiciary of engaging in “lawfare”—using legal mechanisms to pursue politically motivated cases—against his wife and brother. Both are under investigation for …