'Chill of blizzard proportions': Bar Association takes Trump to court

The American Bar Association, which boasts hundreds of thousands of attorney members, is fighting back against the Trump administration's targeting of law firms and attorneys that have run afoul of the president, according to CBS News.

Justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane posted the news to X on Monday, writing, "American Bar Assoc. files civil suit vs. Trump Admin. seeking court order that Trump's executive orders targeting attorneys & firms are UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

"Suit: Trump orders stripping attorneys of security clearances & targeting firms are govt-endorsed 'blacklist.'"

MacFarlane quoted the 93-page filing, citing the chilling effect the orders are having on litigation across the country.

“Because the threat that the President will continue to issue potentially devastating executive orders against law firms who do not 'behave' remains urgent and outstanding—and because it is not merely a threat but a proven pattern—this chill 'of blizzard proportions' continues to grip most of the top law firms and lawyers in the country,” MacFarlane wrote.

Shortly after taking office, Trump began issuing "a flurry of actions and executive orders against law firms he deemed as dishonest and engaging in litigation and conduct he declared was detrimental to American interests," according to the Free Speech Center. By the end of March, the president had "targeted five large law firms, moving to terminate federal government contracts with them, limiting them from entering federal buildings and even in some cases barring interaction by federal employees with them."

The New York Times reported Monday, "The handful of notable firms that were targeted by the president for punishment but chose to fight have uniformly won. Nine others have nonetheless pledged almost $1 billion in free legal work."

The article quoted a Cornell Law School professor saying the Trump administration's attorneys "knew that these were losing positions from the beginning and were not actually hoping to win in court, but rather to intimidate firms into settling, as many firms did."

Professor W. Bradley Wendel added that it's not surprising the administration isn't appealing the losses, "because I don’t think they ever thought these were serious positions.”