Justice Department expands its retribution to American Bar Association
Source: CBS News
April 11, 2025 / 3:12 PM EDT
Amid a tumultuous and controversial campaign of executive orders targeting major law firms, the Justice Department is now adding the American Bar Association to its target list, according to a memo obtained by CBS News.
In the memo dated Friday and shared with Justice Department employees, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche ordered that "the Department of Justice will no longer use taxpayer funds to pay for any travel to or engagement with ABA events. Additionally, department employees may not, when acting in their official capacities, speak at, attend, or otherwise participate in events hosted by the ABA."
The memo from Blanche, who previously served as Trump's private defense attorney, blasts the American Bar Association as "activist" and willing to "insert itself into pending litigation." The ABA is a professional organization for lawyers, judges and law students in the U.S., and with about 400,000 members, it's the largest voluntary professional organization for lawyers in the world.
The ABA sparked the ire of the Trump administration when it joined the legal challenge against Mr. Trump's executive order decimating foreign aid. The organization has also been criticized by Justice Department leaders for its efforts to promote diversity in accrediting law schools. On Feb. 28, Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote to the ABA and accused the organization of unlawful race and sex discrimination through its diversity policies.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-department-expands-retribution-to-american-bar-association/

Irish_Dem
(68,333 posts)Take away the law licenses of liberal attorneys.
And let the criminal MAGA attorneys keep their licenses.
Tadpole Raisin
(1,751 posts)Hey SCOTUS, you cant believe in Unitary Executive AND be originalists. Youre going to have to choose.
Warp speed has nothing on these guys. This is frightening and batshit crazy!
Mblaze
(537 posts)All of this is trying to enforce acquiescence to that Big Lie.
Nonnia Bisnez
(22 posts)According to the first amendment, the ABA has a right to racially and sexually discriminate. So Blondi's statement is nonsense.
JoseBalow
(7,232 posts)So they can brush it off and pretend it doesn't matter when they get disbarred.
moniss
(7,068 posts)since the reasons stated for the prohibition are clearly present with the Federalist Society as well but we see no such prohibition regarding their events.
TomSlick
(12,327 posts)Now I've got to start paying dues again.
PortTack
(35,555 posts)calimary
(85,908 posts)The Orange Fuckface is building a whole new version.
Shit - do we REALLY have to wait almost FOUR MORE YEARS???
Frankly, Im expecting that, if hes still among the living by then, hell already have started agitating for yet ANOTHER term. Wonder how many suckers will have stuck with him by then?
forgotmylogin
(7,815 posts)All the lawyers who know exactly what to argue can cut them down.