US president Donald Trump has ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to review the actions of lawyers and law firms that his administration believes filed frivolous lawsuits or attempted to block immigration policies.
In the Friday-night memo first reported by CNN, Trump accused some legal professionals of engaging in "frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation" against the government. The directive asks Bondi to review lawsuits filed in the past eight years and recommend possible actions against attorneys found to have acted improperly. This could include revoking security clearances, cancelling federal contracts, or other penalties.
The memo's vague language leaves it unclear what specific actions would warrant punishment. However, it explicitly calls for misconduct complaints against lawyers working on immigration-related cases.
Trump has long expressed frustration with legal opposition to his policies, particularly regarding immigration. His administration has faced numerous legal challenges over travel bans, asylum restrictions, and border enforcement measures. This latest move is seen as an attempt to deter further lawsuits.
“Far too many attorneys and law firms have long ignored these requirements when litigating against the Federal Government or in pursuing baseless partisan attacks,” Trump said in the presidential memorandum released by the White House on Saturday.
During Friday's Oval Office meeting, president Trump responded to questions about his actions towards law firms. "They went after me for years ruthlessly, violently, illegally. They are not babies. They are very sophisticated people. They did bad things. They went after me for years."

The White House defended the decision in a post on X, saying, "In everything we do, we're restoring law, restoring order, and restoring public safety in America... and bringing honour, integrity, and accountability back to the highest levels of government."

Trump’s actions against the legal community seem to have led at least one major law firm to make concessions this week. According to New York Post, Paul Weiss, a prominent law firm known for working with Democratic clients, agreed to provide $40 million in pro bono legal services to the Trump administration. This decision was made to bypass an executive order that would have restricted the firm from representing clients before the federal government.