+ State bar authority targeted.

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The Daily Docket

The Daily Docket

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

 

By Caitlin Tremblay

Good morning. The DOJ proposed a rule aimed at limiting ethics probes into its lawyers. Plus, a judge ordered U.S. Customs to process refunds on illegal Trump tariffs; the 9th Circuit will hear an appeal of a decision blocking President Trump’s executive order that would end federal funding to medical institutions providing gender-affirming care; a DOJ lawyer told a federal judge that RFK Jr. has “unreviewable” authority to reshape vaccine policy; and two more states are considering licensing lawyers without the bar exam. It’s Thursday. Hold on for one more day.

 

Trump Justice Department aims to limit ethics probes into its lawyers

 

REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

The DOJ is seeking to constrain ethics investigations conducted at the state level into alleged misconduct by its lawyers, according to a proposed rule that seeks to shield prosecutors pursuing President Trump's agenda. Here’s what to know:

  • The proposal would give U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi the right to review misconduct allegations against current or former DOJ attorneys and request that disciplinary authorities at the state level suspend the investigations.
  • The proposed rule seeks to curtail the authority of state bar authorities at a time when the department is pursuing investigations into Trump’s adversaries, and several DOJ lawyers are facing ethics complaints for actions taken during Trump’s second term.
  • The proposal, which is set to be formally published to the Federal Register today, will be open for public comment for 30 days. The DOJ could then decide to amend the proposal or enact it as drafted.
  • Read more about the proposal here.
 

Coming up today

  • LGBTQ+: The 9th Circuit will hear arguments in an appeal of a lower court decision temporarily blocking President Trump’s executive order that would end federal funding to medical institutions providing gender-affirming care.
  • Death penalty: The California Supreme Court will consider whether a defendant is ineligible for the death penalty if they can establish there was racial bias at trial.
  • Environment: The Texas Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments from the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation that statutes used to close a public beach so Elon Musk-owned SpaceX could launch rockets violates citizens rights to beach access.
  • Government: The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to vote on whether to advance four of President Trump's judicial nominees along with his nomination of Robert Cekada to be the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. 
  • Government: A Washington planning commission will consider approving President Trump's White House East Wing ballroom project, according to a tentative meeting agenda posted online.

Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes.

 

More top news

  • Judge orders U.S. Customs to process refunds on illegal Trump tariffs
  • U.S. government workforce shrunk by 12% since September 2024
  • White House submits Warsh nomination as Fed chair to Senate
  • Noem defends $220 million ad campaign amid lawmaker scrutiny
  • Retailer Eddie Bauer cancels auction for 174 stores
  • Colorado Governor Polis signals he is open to clemency for Tina Peters
 
 

Industry insight

  • Connecticut and New Mexico have joined the growing list of states offering or considering lawyer licensing pathways that don’t involve passing a traditional bar exam. Read more about the efforts here. 
  • U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves in Mississippi found that Baker Donelson is potentially liable for the alleged role of two of its former employees in a multimillion-dollar investment fraud scheme, setting up the case for a trial in federal court. Read more here.
  • The DOJ urged U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington to dismiss a lawsuit by the ABA that seeks to bar President Trump from targeting major law firms over their affiliations with his perceived political opponents. Find out more.
 

$3.2 billion

That’s how much in annual revenue Hogan Lovells said it surpassed in an annual review ahead of its planned merger with Cadwalader. Cadwalader, meanwhile, reported a 3.3% revenue decrease, generating $616 million in a year beset by partner departures. Read more in this week’s Billable Hours.

 

In the courts

  • DOJ lawyer Isaac Belfer told U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy that nothing would legally stop HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from scrapping recommendations for vaccines in favor of promoting herd immunity.
  • Google was sued by the family of a Florida man who said its Gemini AI chatbot, which he came to view as his "wife," drove him to paranoia and eventually suicide. Read the complaint.
  • Unions representing federal workers renewed their bid to block President Trump from stripping tens of thousands of government employees of job protections, making them easier to fire and replace with political loyalists. Read the amended complaint.
  • A state court judge in Missouri gave an initial OK to a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to resolve thousands of lawsuits claiming Bayer’s Roundup weedkiller causes cancer.
  • U.S. District Judge Jeremy Daniel in Chicago allowed drivers to move forward with a proposed class action accusing insurer Allstate of illegally tracking them through their cellphones without consent, using the data to raise premiums or deny coverage, and selling it to other insurers. Read the opinion.
  • The 4th Circuit ruled that Elon Musk will not have to sit for a deposition about his tenure leading the Department o