NAACP Issues Statement on White House Attacks on the Private Bar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 23, 2025

Contact: Chyna Fields, cfields@naacpnet.org

WASHINGTON - The White House Memorandum issued on March 22, 2025, directing the Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary to seek sanctions against lawyers who bring cases against his administration is the latest in Trump's attacks on the private bar. 

Trump earlier issued Executive Orders targeting several large, mainstream law firms for work they handled on behalf of his political opponents and the Special Counsel appointed to investigate his actions on and around the January 6 insurrection. 

But this new Memorandum takes Trump's strong-arm tactics to another level: it zeroes in on immigration lawyers, large law firms providing free legal help to poor people and nonprofits, and lawyers against whom Trump has a personal vendetta. And this Memorandum is not limited only to lawyers who file lawsuits against the current administration, but it also targets lawyers who filed lawsuits against him or his administration during his first term.

Make no mistake – this is not normal; this is not making America great; and this is not right.

These attacks on the private bar are clearly intended to – and very likely could - greatly and permanently damage the ability of the private bar to represent clients who seek justice in the courts. In short, they will make it difficult, if not impossible, for lawyers to protect the rule of law. 

The ability of the private bar to hold government officials accountable for actions that exceed their constitutional authority has never been more important than it is now. The U.S. Constitution created a delicate system of checks and balances under which each of the three branches of government ensure that the others operate within the limits of their authority. But because Congress has refused to carry out its constitutionally-mandated obligation to act as a check and balance on the president and executive branch, only the judiciary remains as the bulwark against a president's abuse of power.

However, the courts have no authority to act on their own, but are limited to adjudicating cases brought before them. Individuals and organizations affected by the Administration's wrongdoing must have competent, principled, and fearless legal representation to protect their rights. Without the private bar to challenge in court the Administration's blatant overreach of authority, this remaining check on the presidency will fail and the American people will have no legal recourse.

The NAACP calls upon national and state legal organizations and members of the private bar to publicly condemn these acts of intimidation that threaten to corrode the ability to uphold the rule of law and to ensure that no one is above the law in this country, even the president of the United States.

To learn more about how the NAACP fights for our rights in the courts, visit our website.

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ABOUT NAACP 

The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.