Latest news with #WashingtonLitigationGroup
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New non-profit law firm in DC aims to challenge Trump's executive power
A group of well-known Washington lawyers is opening a law firm focused on challenging President Donald Trump's executive orders and agency actions as he strives to dramatically reshape the federal government during his second term. The Washington Litigation Group, a new boutique non-profit firm, is composed of seasoned attorneys, judges and former government employees who lost their jobs when the president took office – with some even emerging from retirement. Its services will be free to those looking to push back on Trump's use of executive power, and the group has already begun representing the head of an independent agency fired by the president. The group is led by Tom Green, former head of Sidley Austin's white-collar practice and a veteran attorney who defended clients during the Watergate investigation and Iran-Contra affair. Nathaniel Zelinsky, an attorney with experience practicing before federal appeals courts as well as the Supreme Court, joins the firm from Milbank and Hogan Lovells. While there are other firms tackling similar cases to the Washington Litigation Group, Zelinsky told CNN in a phone call that their group stand out because of the number of people who have come out of retirement to work for the firm. 'I think that makes the firm different from other folks who are out there who are trying to do this work, in the sense that, we have this collection of extraordinary individuals who have come out of retirement to provide their mentorship and guidance and strategic vision,' Zelinsky said. Zelinsky said that the firm is expected to be active in litigation regarding the unlawful removal of civil servants, agency dissolution and white-collar defense. The new firm has also acquired two former federal prosecutors who were fired under the Trump administration, James Pearce and Mary Dohrmann. Pearce and Dohrmann served in multiple capacities at the Justice Department, including as assistant special counsels to Jack Smith, who was investigating Trump. 'I took pride in being a non-partisan civil servant committed to the rule of law and to doing justice,' Pearce said in a call with CNN. Pearce said the range of experience among the attorneys is a strength, citing that the firm has attorneys familiar with early stages of investigations all the way up to lawyers who have practiced in front of the Supreme Court. Dohrmann emphasized that many of the members of the firm want to continue 'upholding the rule of law' in a non-partisan way as they've done most of their careers. 'I think what we want to do here is continue the great tradition of non-partisan criminal investigations and prosecutions and upholding the rule of law as we've done to this point in our careers,' Dohrmann said in a call with CNN. While the firm said it cannot discuss ongoing litigation, the group publicly represents Cathy Harris, whom Trump fired from her post as chair of the Merit System Protection Board earlier this year. MSPB is an independent agency that has the ability to review and reverse federal employee firings. The Supreme Court ruled in May that Trump did not have to rehire Harris while her legal challenge to her firing plays out. A federal appeals court in DC is still considering whether her removal is lawful at all, as a trial-level judge has already decided. Green, who came out of retirement himself, said in a press release Monday that the firm is 'deeply concerned about the state of the rule of law in our country.' 'Every passing day we see the increased need for committed and talented lawyers to join this cause, and we have done so by engaging some of the best lawyers from government and the private sector as we undertake to do our part,' Green said in the press release. CNN's Paula Reid contributed to this report.
CNN
6 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
New non-profit law firm in DC aims to challenge Trump's executive power
A group of well-known Washington lawyers is opening a law firm focused on challenging President Donald Trump's executive orders and agency actions as he strives to dramatically reshape the federal government during his second term. The Washington Litigation Group, a new boutique non-profit firm, is composed of seasoned attorneys, judges and former government employees who lost their jobs when the president took office – with some even emerging from retirement. Its services will be free to those looking to push back on Trump's use of executive power, and the group has already begun representing the head of an independent agency fired by the president. The group is led by Tom Green, former head of Sidley Austin's white-collar practice and a veteran attorney who defended clients during the Watergate investigation and Iran-Contra affair. Nathaniel Zelinsky, an attorney with experience practicing before federal appeals courts as well as the Supreme Court, joins the firm from Milbank and Hogan Lovells. While there are other firms tackling similar cases to the Washington Litigation Group, Zelinsky told CNN in a phone call that their group stand out because of the number of people who have come out of retirement to work for the firm. 'I think that makes the firm different from other folks who are out there who are trying to do this work, in the sense that, we have this collection of extraordinary individuals who have come out of retirement to provide their mentorship and guidance and strategic vision,' Zelinsky said. Zelinsky said that the firm is expected to be active in litigation regarding the unlawful removal of civil servants, agency dissolution and white-collar defense. The new firm has also acquired two former federal prosecutors who were fired under the Trump administration, James Pearce and Mary Dohrmann. Pearce and Dohrmann served in multiple capacities at the Justice Department, including as assistant special counsels to Jack Smith, who was investigating Trump. 'I took pride in being a non-partisan civil servant committed to the rule of law and to doing justice,' Pearce said in a call with CNN. Pearce said the range of experience among the attorneys is a strength, citing that the firm has attorneys familiar with early stages of investigations all the way up to lawyers who have practiced in front of the Supreme Court. Dohrmann emphasized that many of the members of the firm want to continue 'upholding the rule of law' in a non-partisan way as they've done most of their careers. 'I think what we want to do here is continue the great tradition of non-partisan criminal investigations and prosecutions and upholding the rule of law as we've done to this point in our careers,' Dohrmann said in a call with CNN. While the firm said it cannot discuss ongoing litigation, the group publicly represents Cathy Harris, whom Trump fired from her post as chair of the Merit System Protection Board earlier this year. MSPB is an independent agency that has the ability to review and reverse federal employee firings. The Supreme Court ruled in May that Trump did not have to rehire Harris while her legal challenge to her firing plays out. A federal appeals court in DC is still considering whether her removal is lawful at all, as a trial-level judge has already decided. Green, who came out of retirement himself, said in a press release Monday that the firm is 'deeply concerned about the state of the rule of law in our country.' 'Every passing day we see the increased need for committed and talented lawyers to join this cause, and we have done so by engaging some of the best lawyers from government and the private sector as we undertake to do our part,' Green said in the press release. CNN's Paula Reid contributed to this report.
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
New firm seeks to confront Trump regarding executive power
As she carves a path expected to lead back to the Supreme Court, she has added a new law firm to her team of lawyers. The four-lawyer firm, called the Washington Litigation Group, is the latest to join a coterie of pro bono organizations that have emerged in recent months to challenge the Trump administration, which is already facing about 375 lawsuits, according to The New York Times' latest count. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The firm plans to focus on clients with cases likely headed to the appeals process, with the potential to set precedents, strengthen civil service protections, and rein in executive power. Two of its lawyers, James Pearce and Mary Dohrmann, even share Harris's experience of being fired by Trump. Pearce and Dohrmann were fired from the Justice Department in January because of their work on Jack Smith's special counsel team investigating Trump. Advertisement The new group aims to bring appellate expertise to the very beginning of a client's case, an approach that its founders say will improve the odds of making a successful argument before the Supreme Court. Advertisement It's a game plan straight out of the Big Law playbook. But when many large firms receded from this type of work to avoid drawing Trump's wrath, it created a void. 'Our purpose is to help fill that gap,' said Peter Keisler, one of eight members on the firm's steering committee. 'We've just never before seen this kind of systematic effort by a government to use all possible levers of government power against perceived opponents,' said Keisler, a founder of the conservative Federalist Society and a former assistant attorney general and acting attorney general for President George W. Bush. The firm is applying for tax-exempt status and is seeking donations from foundations and donors. It has received some initial funding to cover the salaries of the four lawyers, a spokesperson said. The left-leaning group Democracy Forward, one of the biggest nonprofits fighting the Trump administration, has also recognized the gap in appellate expertise. The group is opening its own appellate shop this week, designed to mirror those at the big law firms, and has already hired more than a dozen lawyers, said Skye Perryman, the group's president. The group is funded by foundations and donations. The shift in pro bono representation is subtle but potentially significant in the legal challenges against Trump's assertions of executive power, including the ability to carry out mass and targeted firings of civil servants and the elimination of federal programs authorized by Congress. Now is a natural time to start thinking more about appeals, said Jeffrey L. Fisher, a professor at Stanford Law School, where he is a director of the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. Advertisement 'Once the cases get up to the appellate level, that's when people start to think about which one is going to have the right timing and package of arguments and facts that's going to be well-positioned' for a hearing before the Supreme Court, Fisher said. The appeals-focused model was intriguing to Pearce, one of the firm's four lawyers who was previously a longtime Justice Department prosecutor. Last year, Pearce presented the government's argument in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia against Trump's claim that he was immune from charges of plotting to subvert the 2020 election. He was among more than a dozen Justice Department lawyers who worked on the two criminal investigations into Trump who were fired in January. Pearce is disputing the firing at the Merit Systems Protection Board, the federal employee discipline panel that Harris served on before her own termination. 'I think that a lot of the fighting will be on the scope and extent of a president's Article II powers,' Pearce said, referring to powers outlined in the Constitution. 'You see this in the independent board cases. You certainly see it, I think, in my firing and in the firing of other civil servants.' Those powers are at the heart of the case pursued by Harris, who argues that the president did not have the authority to fire a member of a congressionally mandated independent board without cause. She said her challenge, as she waits for a decision from the federal appeals court in Washington, was not simply about getting her job back. Advertisement 'It's about much bigger principles of democracy and the balance of powers,' she said.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Trump Administration Live Updates: President Says He'll Raise Tariffs on India
Cathy A. Harris was fired without cause from the Merit Systems Protection Board and has enlisted the Washington Litigation Group in her appeals process. Cathy A. Harris learned she was fired for a third time during her daughter's high school graduation. It was a gut punch, she said, on what was meant to be a happy occasion. The former chairwoman of an obscure but critical panel that mediates federal employee discipline, Ms. Harris was among an early slate of federal employees President Trump fired without cause. She sued the administration and went through four months of employment limbo before the Supreme Court ordered that she remain fired while her case wound through the legal system. 'Right now, I'm really laser-focused on getting my case to a win, however long it takes,' Ms. Harris said in a recent interview. As she carves a path expected to lead back to the Supreme Court, she has added a new law firm to her team of lawyers. The four-lawyer firm, called the Washington Litigation Group, is the latest to join a coterie of pro bono organizations that have emerged in recent months to challenge the Trump administration, which is already facing about 375 lawsuits, according to The Times's latest count. The firm plans to focus on clients with cases likely headed to the appeals process with the potential to set precedents strengthening civil service protections and reining in executive power. Two of its lawyers, James I. Pearce and Mary Dohrmann, even share Ms. Harris's experience of being fired by Mr. Trump. Mr. Pearce and Ms. Dohrmann were fired from the Justice Department in January because of their work on Jack Smith's special counsel team investigating Mr. Trump. The new group aims to bring appellate expertise to the very beginning of a client's case, an approach that its founders say will improve the odds of making a successful argument before the Supreme Court. It's a game plan straight out of the Big Law playbook. But when many large firms receded from this type of work to avoid drawing Mr. Trump's wrath, it created a void. 'Our purpose is to help fill that gap,' said Peter Keisler, one of eight members on the firm's steering committee. 'We've just never before seen this kind of systematic effort by a government to use all possible levers of government power against perceived opponents,' said Mr. Keisler, a founder of the conservative Federalist Society and a former assistant attorney general and acting attorney general for President George W. Bush. Democracy Forward, one of the biggest nonprofits fighting the Trump administration, has also recognized the gap in appellate expertise. The group is opening its own appellate shop this week, designed to mirror those at the big law firms, and has already hired more than a dozen lawyers, said Skye Perryman, the group's president. The shift in pro bono representation is subtle but potentially significant in the legal challenges against Mr. Trump's assertions of executive power, including the ability to carry out mass and targeted firings of civil servants and the elimination of federal programs authorized by Congress. Now is a natural time to start thinking more about appeals, said Jeffrey L. Fisher, a professor at Stanford Law School, where he is a director of the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. 'Once the cases get up to the appellate level, that's when people start to think about which one is going to have the right timing and package of arguments and facts that's going to be well positioned' for a hearing before the Supreme Court, Mr. Fisher said. The appeals-focused model was intriguing to Mr. Pearce, one of the firm's four lawyers who was previously a longtime Justice Department prosecutor. Last year, Mr. Pearce presented the government's argument in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia against Mr. Trump's claim that he was immune from charges of plotting to subvert the 2020 election. He was among more than a dozen Justice Department lawyers who worked on the two criminal investigations into Mr. Trump who were fired in January. Mr. Pearce is disputing the firing at the Merit Systems Protection Board, the federal employee discipline panel that Ms. Harris served on before her own termination. 'I think that a lot of the fighting will be on the scope and extent of a president's Article II powers,' Mr. Pearce said, referring to powers outlined in the Constitution. 'You see this in the independent board cases. You certainly see it, I think, in my firing and in the firing of other civil servants.' Those powers are at the heart of the case pursued by Ms. Harris, who argues that the president did not have the authority to fire a member of a congressionally mandated independent board without cause. She said her challenge, as she waits for a decision from the federal appeals court in Washington, was not simply about getting her job back. 'It's about much bigger principles of democracy and the balance of powers,' she said. Seamus Hughes and Cam Baker contributed research.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
New Firm Seeks to Confront Trump on Executive Power
Cathy A. Harris learned she was fired for a third time during her daughter's high school graduation. It was a gut punch, she said, on what was meant to be a happy occasion. The former chairwoman of an obscure but critical panel that mediates federal employee discipline, Ms. Harris was among an early slate of federal employees President Trump fired without cause. She sued the administration and went through four months of employment limbo before the Supreme Court ordered that she remain fired while her case wound through the legal system. 'Right now, I'm really laser-focused on getting my case to a win, however long it takes,' Ms. Harris said in a recent interview. As she carves a path expected to lead back to the Supreme Court, she has added a new law firm to her team of lawyers. The four-lawyer firm, called the Washington Litigation Group, is the latest to join a coterie of pro bono organizations that have emerged in recent months to challenge the Trump administration, which is already facing about 375 lawsuits, according to The Times's latest count. The firm plans to focus on clients with cases likely headed to the appeals process with the potential to set precedents strengthening civil service protections and reining in executive power. Two of its lawyers, James I. Pearce and Mary Dohrmann, even share Ms. Harris's experience of being fired by Mr. Trump. Mr. Pearce and Ms. Dohrmann were fired from the Justice Department in January because of their work on Jack Smith's special counsel team investigating Mr. Trump. The new group aims to bring appellate expertise to the very beginning of a client's case, an approach that its founders say will improve the odds of making a successful argument before the Supreme Court. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
