Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hi Interested Public,

Welcome to the week’s end. Several major stories laid out for you below as editor’s choices. In other news, an appeals court has allowed President Trump’s anti-union effort within the civil service to proceed, while another court considers his plan to liquidate the CFPB. At a meeting of AILA in Oklahoma, attorneys shared that ICE is courting their labor with generous compensation packages, while Democrats in several states are proposing rules that would restrict ICE employees’ future ability to work in civil service at the state level. A possible strike is brewing among court clerks in San Francisco that could affect judicial operations there, while defense counsel in Massachusetts warn that prosecutors’ efforts to re-introduce cases previously dropped during that state’s work stoppage could re-ignite their crisis. As always, these stories and more are in the links below. Solidarity,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

• Inside the upheaval at the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office (Minnesota Star Tribune; 27 Feb 2026)

  “For the first time since President Donald Trump took office in 2025, legal experts said, one of his Justice Department lawyers was found in contempt of court. And the chief judge has threatened even harsher sanctions. It’s an extraordinary moment during a crisis that has engulfed the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, one that exposed how an exodus of legal talent has left the office in tatters, unable to comply with even its most basic responsibilities.”

• Some Student Loan Borrowers May Soon Receive Refunds Worth Thousands (Forbes; 24 Feb 2026)

  “The reason for the refunds is related to student loan forgiveness. Thousands of borrowers who recently were notified that they qualify for a discharge under income-driven repayment, or IDR, plans may be reimbursed for excess payments they made after they reached their eligibility threshold for a discharge. And because many of these borrowers may have continued making monthly payments on their student loans long after becoming eligible for a discharge (without even realizing it), a sizable portion of these borrowers may be due for big refund checks.”

• Judiciary Says Courthouses Are in Crisis, Seeks Real Property Authority (U.S. Courts; 24 Feb 2026)

  “The condition of federal courthouses around the country is in a deepening state of crisis, compelling the Judiciary to ask Congress (PDF) for authority to directly manage properties that are essential to carrying out its constitutional mission.”

• UN chief decries global rise of 'rule of force' (Hurriyet Daily News; 23 Feb 2026)

Federal Restructuring & Funding

• Trump promised to ‘reclaim power’ from civil servants in his 2025 speech to Congress. Here’s what has changed since (Government Executive; 23 Feb 2026)

• ICE expanding operations in OKC, recruits local attorneys | Exclusive (The Oklahoman; 26 Feb 2026)

  “The annual meeting of local members of the American Immigration Lawyers Association with a liaison from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement usually serves as a space to voice concerns and ask questions about new policy. But this meeting took a turn as multiple Oklahoma City attorneys say they were pitched to work for ICE, complete with discussions of incentives that included handsome signing bonuses and student debt repayment.”

• Trump Education Department outsources more responsibilities, continuing proposed wind-down (Government Executive; 24 Feb 2026)

  “The 46-year-old department signed seven other interagency agreements in 2025 as part of an ongoing effort to dismantle itself, including with State and HHS, as well as Labor and Interior.” [other agreements here]

• OPM formally proposes limiting top performance ratings for federal workers (Government Executive; 23 Feb 2026)

• Appeals court declines to block Trump’s anti-union EOs (Government Executive; 26 Feb 2026)

  “The lone Democratic appointee on a Ninth Circuit three-judge panel suggested that he and his colleagues may reach a different conclusion with the benefit of a “fully developed factual record.””

• Trump’s pick to lead new Justice Department unit scrutinized as president declares ‘war on fraud’ (Associated Press; 25 Feb 2026)

• Fate of CFPB employees hang in the balance as judges consider agency’s future (Government Executive; 24 Feb 2026)

  “The Trump administration is seeking authority to lay off nearly all employees at the consumer watchdog.”

• Bipartisan lawmakers worried about shaky progress on modernized government worker background check system (Government Executive; 26 Feb 2026)

Non-Federal Funding & Restructuring

• Portland advances plan to cover legal services for immigrants and refugees (Oregon Public Broadcasting; 27 Feb 2026)

• Democrats in four states seek to bar ICE employees from future civil service jobs (The Guardian; 26 Feb 2026)

• Why these California counties are directly funding immigrant legal defense amid Trump’s crackdown (CalMatters; 26 Feb 2026)

Civil Society

• Law students deliver $178M in pro bono services, AALS reports (National Jurist; 23 Feb 2026)

• Court Battles Over Disclosure of Law Firm Pro Bono Deals Pile Up (Law.com; 23 Feb 2026)

• Nonprofit Leaders’ Concerns About Finances, Programming, and Workforce Challenges Intensified from 2024 to 2025 (Urban Institute; 23 Feb 2026)

  • Cracks are showing in nonprofit sector amid federal funding shifts, leaders say (Crain’s Detroit Business; 23 Feb 2026)

• Defense attorneys build mapping tool to track Justice Dept. "weaponization" (CBS; 22 Feb 2026)

  • Trump Ally Expands Inquiry of Former Officials Who Investigated the President (New York Times; 26 Feb 2026)

• Top law schools for social justice (National Jurist; 25 Feb 2026)

Student Debt & Other Student Concerns

• Trump's admin confirms that selling federal student loans to private companies is still on the table (Business Insider; 23 Feb 2026)

• Education Department Struggles with PSLF Buyback Applications, Delays Persist (Investopedia; 23 Feb 2026)

• ABA Delegates Back Forgiving Loans For Public Interest Attys (Law360; 9 Feb 2026)

• New Public Service Loan Forgiveness Rule May Add Barriers for Disabled Borrowers (Disability Belongs; 25 Feb 2026)

• Why Parents Could See a Big Jump in Student Loan Payments (US News; 24 Feb 2026)

  “Parent borrowers taking out loans for students through the federal direct PLUS program will soon be locked out of more affordable repayment plans. They'll also face tighter loan caps that could leave some scrambling for funds to pay for the final college years. Student loan experts say these changes could lead to a rise in parent defaults as well as some challenging fourth-year borrowing situations.”

Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

• ABA Plans to End Law School Diversity Requirement (JD Journal; 24 Feb 2026)

• [Ed Note: I also refer readers out to NALP’s Weekly Industry News Digest, which has separate coverage of this topic]

Access to Justice

• More than 200 SF court clerks could go on strike over alleged unfair labor practices on Thursday (ABC 7; 25 Feb 2026)

  • San Francisco courts could be crippled this week if clerks strike (San Francisco Chronicle; 23 Feb 2026)

• Mass. court crisis will continue if long-term fix isn't made, lawyer group warns (WCVB; 24 Feb 2026)

  “DAs refiling cases that were dismissed because of the defense lawyer work stoppage”

• Public Defender Shortages Suggest Rethinking Drug Criminalization [opinion] (Cato Institute; 20 Feb 2026)

• DC Courts create new pathway for people without lawyers to get legal help (WTOP; 26 Feb 2026)

  “Nonlawyers who receive training will now be able to help with civil matters in D.C., as part of a new order issued by D.C. Courts earlier this month that expands access to legal assistance for people without an attorney.”

• Colorado lawmakers look to require municipal courts to provide indigent defense attorneys, livestream hearings (Courthouse News Service; 25 Feb 2026)

• [Baton Rouge, LA] DA’s office faces staffing crisis, mayor-president proposes $1.35M in funding (WAFB9; 24 Feb 2026)

• Hinds County supervisors bemoan demands on purse strings as public defenders seek better pay (Mississippi Today; 24 Feb 2026)

• Delaware legal aid groups request $3.2M to fund low-income eviction prevention program (WHYY; 23 Feb 2026)

• Civil legal service fund go unchanged in [NY] gov’s budget amendments (Queens Daily Eagle; 23 Feb 2026)

  “Despite bar associations and legal organizations across the state urging the governor to expand a public fund for civil legal services, the governor made no changes to the budget item in the slate of amendments to her proposed financial plan released last week.”

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hi Interested Public,

It’ll be a two-digest week as I catch up from last week. A few eye-catching stories are in “Editor’s choices,” below. In other news, the federal executive is terminating union contracts, multiple states are struggling with shortages of prosecutors and public defenders, and the ABA is weighing the repeal of its diversity standard. As always, these stories and more are in the links below. Solidarity,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

• Federal judge: U.S. Attorney’s Office refrain of low staffing, massive caseload ‘has worn out its welcome’ (Minnesota Star Tribune; 20 Feb 2026)

  “Her criticism was presented in an order dismissing her contempt finding against military lawyer Matthew Isihara earlier this week over the U.S. government’s failure to return identification documents to an immigrant she previously ordered released.”

• ‘My dream job has turned into a nightmare’: Ex-feds and public service experts testify to Congress on how to rebuild government post-Trump (Government Executive; 13 Feb 2026)

• Pentagon may bar tuition aid for top universities in Hegseth’s crackdown on ‘biased’ schools (CNN; 13 Feb 2026)

  “A preliminary list of at-risk schools compiled by the Army for troops enrolling in law school and reviewed by CNN characterizes the following schools as being at “moderate to high risk” of being banned…”

Federal Restructuring & Funding

• DOJ swiftly fires lawyer chosen to take over from Trump pick Lindsey Halligan as Virginia prosecutor (The Independent; 21 Feb 2026)

• OPM instructs agencies to terminate union contracts potentially in violation of court orders (Government Executive; 13 Feb 2026)

• Federal workers delay retirement as savings gaps persist (Government Executive; 19 Feb 2026)

Non-Federal Funding & Restructuring

• Judge rules [TX AG] Paxton lacks authority to sue Bexar County over legal services fund (San Antonio Report; 20 Feb 2026)

  “A Bexar County district judge on Friday ruled that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton does not have the legal authority to sue Bexar County over its immigration legal services fund, blocking the state’s attempt to halt county funding for the initiative.”

• Wayne County [NC] leaders help keep Legal Aid office open with $1 rent on Goldsboro buildingf (CBS 17 North Carolina; 16 Feb 2026)

• [NY] Indigent legal services face $120 million ‘funding sweep’ from governor (Queens Daily Eagle; 17 Feb 2026)

  “The director of New York’s Office of Indigent Legal Services called on the state legislature to prevent the governor from taking over $120 million in funding from the office, and warned the funding sweep could have a dire impact on low-income New Yorkers’ ability to access free legal services.”

  • [NY] Governor faces more calls to expanded civil legal services funding (Queens Daily Eagle; 18 Feb 2026)

Civil Society

• Supreme Court Asks Ohio Attorneys to Report Pro Bono Service (Daily Legal News; 19 Feb 2026)

• 3Ls donated over $178M of pro bono legal work in 2025, new survey shows (ABA Journal; 19 Feb 2026)

• Former Justice Department Civil Rights Leaders Launch New Public Accountability Project: Red Line for Civil Rights (Democracy Forward; 19 Feb 2026)

Student Debt & Other Student Concerns

• Student-loan borrowers in public service are in a growing debt relief bind (Business Insider; 18 Feb 2026)

  “A recent court update from the Department of Education reported an increase in the backlog of buyback processing. The filing said that 83,370 applications were pending as of December 31. Over the month of December, the department approved 1,690 buyback applications and received an additional 5,090.”

• Gov'ts, Nonprofits Push To Block Trump's Student Loan Rule (Law360; 19 Feb 2026)

Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

• ABA Weighing Repeal of Law School Diversity Standard (Law.com; 20 Feb 2026)

• [Ed Note: I also refer readers out to NALP’s Weekly Industry News Digest, which has separate coverage of this topic]

Access to Justice

• This Hillsborough [FL] public defender program aims to meet people where they are (Tampa Bay Times; 21 Feb 2026)

• If funds for legal aid in WA are cut, victims pay the price [opinion] (Seattle Times; 20 Feb 2026)

• Hidalgo County [TX] DA’s Office faces heavy trial load, prosecutor shortage (My RGV; 20 Feb 2026)

• Public Defender Shortages Suggest Rethinking Drug Criminalization (Cato Institute; 20 Feb 2026)

• ‘No relief in sight’ for understaffed D.A.’s office in Washington County [ME] (The Maine Monitor; 14 Feb 2026)

• Idaho Public Defender Says $2.2 Million Cut Could Threaten Constitutional Right to Counsel (Idaho Capital Sun; 19 Feb 2026)

  • In response to cuts, Idaho Public Defender’s Office plans to reduce training, overflow contractors (Idaho Capital Sun; 18 Feb 2026)

• Maine courts and public defenders disagree over indigent defense attorney appointments (Maine Morning Star; 19 Feb 2026)

  • Maine making strides on providing legal services to the poor, chief justice tells lawmakers (Spectrum Local News; 12 Feb 2026)

• 2 public defense nonprofits allowed to limit caseloads, Oregon judge rules (Oregon Public Broadcasting; 20 Feb 2026)

  • DA dismisses more than 600 criminal cases over lack of defense attorneys (The Oregonian; 19 Feb 2026)

• Public Defenders Are Underfunded. Justice Pays the Price. (Vera Institute; 17 Feb 2026)

• South Dakota’s attorney shortfall persists, but new legislation could help (South Dakota Searchlight; 21 Feb 2026)

  “The new program provides an opportunity to third-year (senior) law students. HB 1270 would extend the apprenticeship opportunity to existing graduates of the University of South Dakota’s Knudson School of Law.”

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hi Interested Public,

Cold days continue. Lots of interesting news in the links below. Solidarity,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

• Case dismissals, hastened plea deals follow U.S. Attorney staffing exodus in Minnesota (Minnesota Star-Tribune; 12 Feb 2026)

  • Top Minnesota prosecutor says ICE cases are sidelining ‘pressing priorities’ (Politico; 5 Feb 2026)

• White House fires U.S. attorney in N.Y. hours after judges appointed him (Washington Post; 12 Feb 2026)

Federal Restructuring & Funding

• How Trump Has Reshaped the Justice Department and Other Criminal Justice Areas in His Second Term (The Marshall Project; 24 Jan 2026)

• OPM seeks to consolidate power over employee appeals in new regulations (Government Executive; 9 Feb 2026)

• Congress paused all federal layoffs for 3 months. That's set to change this week (Government Executive; 10 Feb 2026)

• Trump’s Grant Terminations Upheld by Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (Inside Climate News; 23 Jan 2026)

Non-Federal Funding & Restructuring

• City of Minneapolis allocates $1 million for immigration legal services due to increased demand (ABC 5 KSTP; 9 Feb 2026)

• Grant expands Ventura County [CA] Public Defenders' immigration services (VC Star; 10 Feb 2026)

• Travis County district attorney joins coalition vowing to prevent alleged federal agent misconduct (The Daily Texan; 12 Feb 2026)

Civil Society

• 9 Legal Aid NC offices shuttered as funding freeze continues with no word on when it will end (Yahoo; 10 Feb 2026)

• Former federal prosecutor who quit amid Trump administration dispute now representing Don Lemon (AP; 10 Feb 2026)

• “It’s Taking a Village”: South Side Legal Aid Clinic for Immigrants Adapts Amid Heightened ICE Presence (Chicago Maroon; 25 Jan 2026)

• Thousands Of Law Students Demand Congress Allow The Constitution To Apply To ICE (Above the Law; 10 Feb 2026)

  “A student-led coalition has gathered more than 2,600 signatures from law students, legal academics, and law student organizations across 109 law schools calling on Congress to pass the Federal Officer Accountability Act.”

Student Debt & Other Student Concerns

• ABA Delegates Back Forgiving Loans For Public Interest Attys (Law360; 9 Feb 2026)

• Millions of student loan borrowers aren't repaying their loans — and defaults are up (NPR; 10 Feb 2026)

  • Elizabeth Warren Says 'The Trump Administration Censored This Report' On Student Loans, Revealing Rising Defaults And 25,000 Complaints (Bezinga; 10 Feb 2026)

Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

• [Ed Note: I also refer readers out to NALP’s Weekly Industry News Digest, which has separate coverage of this topic]

Access to Justice

• Fund WA’s right-to-counsel program to prevent evictions [opinion] (Seattle Times; 13 Feb 2026)

• Judge: Government flouted constitutional rights of Whipple detainees (Minnesota Star-Tribune; 12 Feb 2026)

  “A federal judge on Feb. 12 ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to improve access to phones and lawyers for detainees at the Whipple Federal Building, while also barring the federal government from transferring detainees out of state during the first 72 hours of detention.”

• Oregon Supreme Court sets deadlines for court-appointed lawyers (Axios Portland; 10 Feb 2026)

  “Criminal defendants must receive a court-appointed lawyer within a set time or their charges will be dismissed, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled last week.”

• Hennepin County attorney criticizes ICE courthouse arrests, warns of impact on court participation (NBC 11 KARE; 10 Feb 2026)

• Attorneys' group forms to renew fight over bar advocate pay (Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly; 13 Feb 2026)

• Sheboygan [WI] homicide hearings delayed amid public defender shortage (Sheboygan Press; 12 Feb 2026)