President Donald Trump has ordered two top officials to take action against lawyers and law firms that he says are violating the law and rules, as his administration faces an onslaught of lawsuits targeting his policies.
Bondi shall refer for disciplinary action any attorneys whose conduct in federal court “appears to violate professional conduct rules, including rules governing meritorious claims and contentions, and particularly in cases that implicate national security, homeland security, public safety, or election integrity,” Trump’s order states.
Trump also said that when Bondi determines that an attorney or a law firm has been acting in violation of the rules, she shall recommend to him additional steps, including the possible termination of security clearances.
The directive also states that Noem should focus on enforcing attorney conduct and discipline regulations.
The order cites a federal rule that bars attorneys from presenting legal filings for an “improper purpose,” such as harassment, causing unnecessary delay, or “needlessly [increasing] the cost of litigation.”
Trump said examples of unethical misconduct from recent years “are far too common.” He referenced how Marc Elias, founder of the Elias Law Group, helped create the dossier compiled on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election.
The president also said law firms involved in immigration cases “frequently coach clients to conceal their past or lie about their circumstances when asserting their asylum claims, all in an attempt to circumvent immigration policies enacted to protect ... national security and deceive the immigration authorities and courts into granting them undeserved relief.”
Other lawyers also responded negatively to the order.
“An attack on lawyers who perform this work is inexcusable and despicable. Our profession owes every client zealous legal representation without fear of retribution, regardless of their political affiliation or ability to pay.”
Others praised the development.
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-Ariz.) said the directive was important.
“Activist organizations fueled by hundreds of millions of dollars in donations and sometimes even Government grants have obtained sweeping injunctions far beyond the scope of relief contemplated by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, functionally inserting themselves into the executive policy making process and therefore undermining the democratic process,” the memo reads.
