Dem
47
GOP
53
Whereas Donald Trump's attacks on universities are about stifling dissent and "owning the libs," his attacks on law firms would seem to have a different purpose. A lot of what his administration does is lawless, or at least arguably so, and won't stand up in a court of law. However, if there are no attorneys available to get the matter INTO a court of law, then that's not a problem. For example, the firing of an FBI agent due to Trump thinking the agent is insufficiently Trumpy is going to result in a long, complicated case that solo practitioners are not likely to want to take on. If the big law firms don't dare, many people Trump goes after won't have any recourse at all. Needless to say, there will be no justice at all soon and Trump can run rampant.
Stacey Young, a former lawyer at the DoJ, has decided to do something about this. She is putting together a network of volunteer lawyers who are willing to help Trump's targets and who are willing to absorb his slings and arrows. All of the lawyers in the network have worked for the DoJ and have deep experience with how it works. Not only does this give them expertise in the various cases they will soon handle, but the people targeted are likely to have faith in them given their DoJ backgrounds.
One of the volunteer lawyers, Melanie Proctor, who used to coordinate civil rights cases for the U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco, said: "Something I took pride in as a DoJ attorney was that no one ever expected me to do anything that would violate my oath. The law was the law. Justice wasn't being served if we were doing things unjustly. We stood for something. But I think people will be targeted for doing the right thing, not taking a stance that is contrary to law."
One group of people that Young is especially worried about is DoJ attorneys who worked on the Jan. 6 prosecutions. Trump has promised to fire them all and this is one promise he is likely to keep. They will all need attorneys to fight their dismissals. However, the legal forum they need to go to before it gets to the courts is the Merit Systems Protections Board. Since Trump fired the chair, Cathy Harris, the Board doesn't have a quorum, so it can't handle cases. The Supreme Court declined to reinstate her while her own legal case is pending. As a consequence, fired employees need to go to the MSPB but it is not functioning. This spells trouble for anyone Trump fires. Given the Court's ruling on reinstating Harris, this problem could last for a while.
Not everyone is giving up, though. Former DoJ employee David Laufman, who investigated the Russian government's interference in the 2016 election, is part of Young's network. He said: "The Justice Department is a cornerstone of the rule of law in America, and the administration has taken a sledgehammer to that. The men and women who have dedicated themselves to pursuing justice without fear or favor in a completely nonpolitical manner now see their careers in danger or even shattered. So I feel a moral obligation as an alumnus to do anything I can to help them." (V)