PSJD News Digest – May 29, 2026

May 29, 2026 at 11:45 am · Filed under Public Interest Law News Bulletin

Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hi Interested Public,

Lots of big stories this week, leading with a few editors’ choices below. Solidarity,

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

DHS memo directs ICE to ramp up asylum-related fraud cases (CBS; 26 May 2026)

“In a memo dated May 26 and obtained by CBS News, DHS General Counsel James Percival instructed ICE attorneys within the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor to develop "anti-fraud policies" designed for "robust enforcement" of existing federal anti-fraud law. The memo said that any effort "should include enforcement against immigration attorneys filing false asylum claims in immigration court."” [emphasis added]

Law Schools Sent Fewer Grads to Government, Public Interest Roles in 2025 (Law.com; 13 May 2026)

“the number of grads who went to government and public interest positions declined by about 14% in 2025 compared to the year prior, and federal clerkships dropped by 11%, according to data from the American Bar Association. Some of this decline may be attributed to the 2025 graduating class shrinking by 7% compared to the previous year.”

The White House is ordering agencies to place its new app on all employees’ government phones (Government Executive; 22 May 2026)

“The push to install the app on the devices of millions of government employees drew surprise from current and former federal officials, who called the move highly unusual and even dangerous. In at least one agency, the automatic downloads will start next week in a move directed by the White House itself, according to internal communications obtained by Government Executive. A button gives the option to “text President Trump,” which, when clicked, opens a text message to a pre-selected number with the default text “Greatest President Ever!” Sending the text signs the user up for alerts, which individuals can also do through the app itself.”

Trump administration proposes NDAs for all federal workers (Washington Post; 26 May 2026)
Federal employees may see faster path to promotions (Federal News Network; 27 May 2026)
DOJ antitrust exits feed steady hires by private firms (Reuters; 27 May 2026)
Immigration courts are using a new tactic to speed up deportations (NPR; 26 May 2026)

“Immigration courts inside the Justice Department are drastically accelerating immigrants' hearings and bunching them together with the goal of issuing more deportation orders…Immigrants are now being scheduled for massive master calendar hearings — or "mega masters" — that include 100 or more people at a time. That's up from two or three dozen people at a time, which had been typical before for a first hearing.”

Illinois Supreme Court Amends Rule to Allow Newly-Admitted Attorneys to Participate in Pro Bono Pilot Program (Illinois State Bar Ass’n PR; 28 May 2026)

“Under the pilot program, which began on July 1, 2025, an attorney may earn one MCLE credit hour for every two hours of pro bono participation in Illinois Free Legal Answers, up to five credits per MCLE reporting period. The amendment to the language of Rule 795 will now permit newly-admitted attorneys who have not yet entered their first two-year MCLE reporting period to participate in the pilot program.”

Immigrant Justice Lab Receives Grants to Expand Access to Immigration Resources and Study AI’s Role in Legal Education (Michigan Law PR; 29 May 2026)
In Search of University Democracy (University of Pennsylvania Law Review; 19 May 2026)

“Virtually all institutions of higher education in the United States share the same basic governance structure…boards are unrepresentative of and unaccountable to the campus community. This governance model does not reliably produce better educational or operational outcomes; it sits in stark tension with universities’ aspirations to be autonomous intellectual communities; and it has been rejected by prominent universities abroad. Why is it ubiquitous here? …at a time when higher education faces mounting threats from political actors at the federal and state levels, there are good reasons to believe that more stakeholder-oriented governance models could help to safeguard the academic mission of universities as well as the democratic capacity of the broader society.”

Taking Out a Federal Student Loan Will Get More Expensive Next Year (Money; 29 May 2026)
The Trump administration is already taking a bite out of your Social Security payments, and they may be going in for a second (Parade; 27 May 2026)

“The second garnishment that appears to be added involves those who have defaulted on their federal student loans. According to the publication, there's been an increase in senior borrowers defaulting on these loans, and now an estimated 452,000 Social Security recipients could stand to have their benefits garnished if they are behind on those federal student loan payments.”