In a rare display of bipartisan unity, more than 700 lawyers and legal groups have signed a letter urging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to defend the independence of attorneys and law firms. This appeal comes as the Trump administration intensifies its criticism of major law offices, with a recent executive order targeting a fourth prominent firm.
The letter emphasizes that Bondi, as the nation’s top government lawyer, has a duty to counteract these attacks on the legal sector and judiciary. It stresses that lawyers must be able to operate independently, free from fear of retaliation, to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law.
Signatories include prominent Republicans such as former U.S. appeals court judge J. Michael Luttig and former acting U.S. Attorney General Peter Keisler, as well as Democrats like Marc Elias, a longtime lawyer for Democratic politicians. The initiative was organized by the Society for the Rule of Law Institute and Democracy Forward, a legal group involved in several lawsuits against the Trump administration.
The Justice Department has not commented on the letter. Meanwhile, a group of 20 Democratic state attorneys general and the American Bar Association have also warned that Trump’s actions pose a threat to the legal profession, citing a “chilling effect” from his executive orders and calls to impeach federal judges.
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