Trump sued by lawyers’ group over ‘relentless attacks’

US president Donald Trump is being sued by the lawyers’ representative body which accuses him of pursuing an unlawful policy of intimidation against firms.

The American Bar Association said that, since taking office earlier this year, Trump and his administration have used executive powers to ‘coerce’ lawyers and firms to abandon any clients, causes and policy positions he disagrees with.

Several firms have been made subject to orders denying them access to government buildings or contracts because of clients they may have represented in the past or equality policies they have pursued. Some of these orders have already been ruled to be unlawful in US courts.

The ABA says Trump’s ‘relentless attacks’ have been designed to damage certain firms and intimidate others.

‘Today, the American legal profession and the members of the American Bar Association face an unprecedented challenge,’ said the organisation. ‘As the nation’s largest voluntary association of lawyers, the ABA is compelled to take action and seek meaningful relief through the courts on behalf of its members and in support of the American bar.’

The lawsuit details how the Trump administration has issued sanctions with the intention of crippling businesses and limiting their ability to freely represent clients.

Even after courts have ruled executive orders to be unlawful, it is said there remains a ‘pervasive fear’ within the legal community and justice system at large.

The ABA, which has around 400,000 members, added: ‘Many attorneys are no longer willing to take on representations that would require suing the federal government because doing so poses a serious risk of becoming the next target of the administration’s devastating sanctions.

‘This blizzard-like chill on the profession has continued even after firms challenging their own executive orders have won repeated court victories. Those victories only protect those firms. The ABA has filed this action to protect all its members, representing a far broader section of the legal profession.’

The case, American Bar Association v Executive Office of the President, et al., has been filed in the United States District Court in the District of Columbia.