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 Justice Department is also seeking communications between the firms and the American Bar Association about Epshteyn.
- The American Bar Association alleges the Trump administration's policies unlawfully targeted law firms.
- The ABA is seeking similar information from the White House in its lawsuit.
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.