US President Donald Trump, on Friday night, instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to examine the conduct of lawyers and law firms the administration deems to have filed frivolous lawsuits or attempted to obstruct its immigration policies, CNN reported.
In a late-night memorandum, Trump revisited longstanding grievances against attorneys who have challenged him and pledged to penalize those lawyers and firms by revoking their security clearances and terminating any federal contracts they may hold.
According to CNN, the move marked an escalation in Trump’s broader crackdown on the legal community in the United States.
The memorandum instructs Bondi “to seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms who engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States or in matters before executive departments and agencies of the United States.”
It further directs Bondi “to review conduct by attorneys or their law firms in litigation against the Federal Government over the last 8 years” and advise the president on “additional steps that may be taken, including reassessment of security clearances held by the attorney, termination of any contract for which the relevant attorney or law firm has been hired to perform services, or any other appropriate actions,” as per CNN.
"In everything we do, we're restoring law, restoring order and restoring public safety in America… and we're bringing honor and integrity and accountability back to the highest levels of the @FBI, @TheJusticeDept, and throughout our government." – President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸… pic.twitter.com/a9PEtAOBjo
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 14, 2025
The practical implications of the memo remain uncertain, as its broad language does not specify what conduct would trigger punishment for lawyers or their firms.
The directive appears to focus particularly on attorneys involved in immigration-related litigation and calls on the attorney general to pursue misconduct complaints against those the administration believes acted improperly.
This latest action targeting the legal community seemed to prompt at least one prominent law firm to make concessions earlier this week.
“In everything we do, we’re restoring law, restoring order and restoring public safety in America… and we’re bringing honor and integrity and accountability back to the highest levels of the FBI, The Justice Department, and throughout our government,” the White House stated in a post on X.
With inputs from ANI