PSJD News Digest – February 24, 2026
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)
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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.”
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‘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)
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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
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DOJ swiftly fires lawyer chosen to take over from Trump pick Lindsey Halligan as Virginia prosecutor (The Independent; 21 Feb 2026)
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OPM instructs agencies to terminate union contracts potentially in violation of court orders (Government Executive; 13 Feb 2026)
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Federal workers delay retirement as savings gaps persist (Government Executive; 19 Feb 2026)
Non-Federal Funding & Restructuring
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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.”
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Wayne County [NC] leaders help keep Legal Aid office open with $1 rent on Goldsboro buildingf (CBS 17 North Carolina; 16 Feb 2026)
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[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.”
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[NY] Governor faces more calls to expanded civil legal services funding (Queens Daily Eagle; 18 Feb 2026)
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Civil Society
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Supreme Court Asks Ohio Attorneys to Report Pro Bono Service (Daily Legal News; 19 Feb 2026)
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3Ls donated over $178M of pro bono legal work in 2025, new survey shows (ABA Journal; 19 Feb 2026)
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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
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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.”
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Gov'ts, Nonprofits Push To Block Trump's Student Loan Rule (Law360; 19 Feb 2026)
Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
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ABA Weighing Repeal of Law School Diversity Standard (Law.com; 20 Feb 2026)
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[Ed Note: I also refer readers out to NALP’s Weekly Industry News Digest, which has separate coverage of this topic]
Access to Justice
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This Hillsborough [FL] public defender program aims to meet people where they are (Tampa Bay Times; 21 Feb 2026)
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If funds for legal aid in WA are cut, victims pay the price [opinion] (Seattle Times; 20 Feb 2026)
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Hidalgo County [TX] DA’s Office faces heavy trial load, prosecutor shortage (My RGV; 20 Feb 2026)
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Public Defender Shortages Suggest Rethinking Drug Criminalization (Cato Institute; 20 Feb 2026)
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‘No relief in sight’ for understaffed D.A.’s office in Washington County [ME] (The Maine Monitor; 14 Feb 2026)
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Idaho Public Defender Says $2.2 Million Cut Could Threaten Constitutional Right to Counsel (Idaho Capital Sun; 19 Feb 2026)
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In response to cuts, Idaho Public Defender’s Office plans to reduce training, overflow contractors (Idaho Capital Sun; 18 Feb 2026)
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Maine courts and public defenders disagree over indigent defense attorney appointments (Maine Morning Star; 19 Feb 2026)
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Maine making strides on providing legal services to the poor, chief justice tells lawmakers (Spectrum Local News; 12 Feb 2026)
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2 public defense nonprofits allowed to limit caseloads, Oregon judge rules (Oregon Public Broadcasting; 20 Feb 2026)
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DA dismisses more than 600 criminal cases over lack of defense attorneys (The Oregonian; 19 Feb 2026)
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Public Defenders Are Underfunded. Justice Pays the Price. (Vera Institute; 17 Feb 2026)
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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.”