PSJD News Digest – July 29, 2025

July 29, 2025 at 9:24 am · Filed under Public Interest Law News Bulletin

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress

Hi Interested Public,

Thanks for your patience with me. After some delays, last week’s news is available today. Agencies across the federal government continue to explore their newfound freedom of motion after the Supreme Court lifted injunctions below preventing them from implementing various reductions in force to effectuate Executive Orders issued over the last several months. The Department of Education (which is itself being dramatically reduced) stated publicly that student loan payments made under the new structure created by Congress’ recent reconciliation bill will be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, although it has paused income-based repayment plans for the interim while it works on a new policy for handling loans. Some–but not all–legal services organizations in New York City have settled their differences with management, while the strike action in Boston continues and additional federal defenders move to withhold labor as the service is unable to pay them. In Florida, state and local governments are experimenting with their own DOGE-style reforms.

As always, these stories and more are in the links below. Solidarity,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

Federal RIFs & Grant Cancellations

Non-Federal Government

Civil Society

  • Republicans Probe Bloomberg-Backed NYU Climate Program Funding Officials in State Attorney General Offices (The Washington Free Beacon; 17 Jul 2025)

    “The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating…the New York University School of Law's State Energy & Environmental Impact Center…On Thursday, Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) sent letters to Bethany Davis Noll, the impact center’s executive director, and Patricia Harris, the CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Comer raised ethics concerns about the fellowship, which he said "undermines faith" in the American legal system, and demanded the two leaders provide relevant documents and communications.”

  • Big Law Firms Bowed to Trump. A Corps of ‘Little Guys’ Jumped in to Fight Him (NYTimes; 21 Jul 2025)

    “I don’t know if the administration knew how many little guys are out there,” said Michael H. Ansell, a solo practitioner in Morristown, N.J., who earlier this year joined the Pro Bono Litigation Corps, newly launched by Lawyers for Good Government, a legal nonprofit. He answered the nonprofit’s plea for lawyers willing to give at least 20 hours a week to an upcoming case. More than 80 volunteered.”

  • In a packed Boston courtroom, Harvard takes on Trump (KCRW; 21 Jul 2025)

  • Takeaways From the Chronicle and AP’s Report on Cuts to Government Grants (Chronicle of Philanthropy; 22 Jul 2025)

    “Since the 1960s, presidential administrations from both parties have used taxpayer dollars to fund nonprofits to take on social problems and deliver services. A vast and interconnected set of federal grants fund public safety programs, early childhood education, food assistance and refugee resettlement services in every state…An analysis by the Urban Institute provides a sense of the scale and reach of government support for nonprofits.”

  • A Quiet War Is Targeting America’s Nonprofits—Most Don’t See It Coming (Forbes; 24 Jul 2025)

    “With government dollars now used as leverage, the institutions that have long held civil society together are being quietly dismantled. This piece breaks down the damage, exposes the political intent, and lays out five ways the sector can fight back before it’s too late.”

Non-Federal Funding

Student Debt & Other Student Concerns

  • Changes to federal student loans leave aspiring medical students scrambling to cover costs (Chicago Tribune; 23 Jul 2025)

    “But Turner cautioned against the abrupt reversal of the program. After accounting for inflation, the lifetime borrowing limits now placed on graduate students are lower than they were in 2005, she said. Many students may turn to private loans to cover the gap, often at higher interest rates…Sophia Tully, co-president of the Minority Association of Pre-Med Students at Northwestern, said she and her peers have struggled to reconcile with a system that often feels stacked against them. The 21-year-old plans on taking an extra gap year before medical school in an effort to save money.”

Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Access to Justice