Key facts
- The U.S. Justice Department has issued subpoenas to 14 major law firms.
- The subpoenas seek communications related to White House executive orders and with Boris Epshteyn.
The U.S. Justice Department has disclosed subpoenas issued to 14 major law firms as part of its defense against a lawsuit by the American Bar Association. The ABA alleges the Trump administration's policies unlawfully targeted firms over their legal work, diversity policies, and political ties.
The Justice Department's disclosure of subpoenas to major law firms intensifies scrutiny on the Trump administration's past actions and could place the targeted firms in an awkward position as they become central to the legal battle over evidence.
The U.S. Justice Department has disclosed that it issued subpoenas to 14 major law firms as part of its defense against a lawsuit brought by the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA alleges that the Trump administration's policies unlawfully punished law firms for their past legal work, diversity policies, and political ties.
The subpoenas, filed in Washington federal court, demand records of the firms' communications related to executive orders issued last year, including communications with Boris Epshteyn, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, since the start of his second term. The Justice Department is also seeking any communications the firms may have had with the ABA concerning Epshteyn.
The Justice Department argued in its filing that the ABA should seek this information from its members or the law firms directly, rather than from the White House. The department stated that its subpoenas are intended to obtain the documents the ABA has requested.
Four law firms had previously sued the administration over similar executive orders and secured court orders permanently barring them. The administration's appeal of those orders is currently pending.
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