Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives

Hi Interested Public,

Welcome to the end of another week. An OPM memo circulated directing that federal employees have the right to express their religious views at work–and to attempt to persuade colleagues fo the correctness of their views. A DOJ memo warned recipients of federal funds that even programs with “facially neutral criteria (e.g., “cultural competence”…)” may run afoul of its interpretation of antidiscrimination laws. At the state level, chief justices across the US released a report discussing how to financially support public-interest lawyering. More locally, legal aid labor disputes in NYC and Massachusetts have reached tentative agreements, while various jurisdictions see attorneys withholding labor from a financially depleted federal public defender service.

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

Sam

Editor’s Choice(s)

• Focusing on 'people law,' state chief justices encourage 'innovative pathways' to law license, new report says (ABA Journal; 1 Aug 2025)

  “Changing the requirements for a law license and supporting financial help for public-interest lawyering are among the ways that state supreme courts can help address “staggering” unmet legal needs, according to a report by a group of state chief justices and court administrators[.]” [report available here]

• Federal employees get more leeway to express religion at work (Federal News Network; 28 Jul 2025)

  “All federal employees must be allowed to express their religion at work, the Office of Personnel Management told agencies in a memo Monday…as long as it doesn’t rise to the level of harassment, OPM said federal employees are also allowed to try to persuade their coworkers of the “correctness of their own religious views.”

Federal RIFs & Grant Cancellations

• Senate Dems join calls for EPA to reinstate dissenting workers (Government Executive; 31 Jul 2025)

• Agency layoffs do not constitute illegal impoundments, GAO rules (Government Executive; 31 Jul 2025)

  “A RIF to achieve savings does not run afoul of the ICA as long as any net savings generated from the RIF are offset by other allowable expenses,” GAO said. “An agency can demonstrate that it is offsetting net savings by showing that it is continuing to obligate and expend all funds provided to the affected account(s).”

• The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work (Washington Post; 31 Jul 2025)

• Court Denies Trump Administration’s Attempt to Bypass Family Separation Ruling (Davis Vanguard; 31 Jul 2025)

  “Judge Dana Sabraw rejected the administration’s request to evade that ruling, and also found a second major breach by the government when it abruptly terminated its contract with Seneca Family of Agencies, which provides social services to the separated families, without securing any replacement contract,”

Civil Society

• How Trump’s crackdown on law firms is undermining legal defenses for the vulnerable (Reuters; 31 Jul 2025)

  “Fourteen civil rights groups said the law firms they count on to pursue legal challenges are hesitating to engage with them, keeping their representation secret or turning them down altogether in the wake of Trump’s pressure, according to interviews with the nonprofits and a review of filings they have made in court.”

• As Bronx faces highest eviction rates, BronxWorks scales up legal aid with new office (Bronx Times; 1 Aug 2025)

• Burnout Rates Across Nonprofits Are Rising—but Flexible Reporting Could Help (NonProfit Quarterly; 29 Jul 2025)

• What DOJ Letters to UVA Say About Trump’s Attack on Higher Ed (Inside Higher Ed; 29 Jul 2025)

  “Taken together, the letters sent between April 11 and June 17 were used to launch what the DOJ called an investigation but that legal experts say is among the latest instances in an all-out pressure campaign against higher education.”

• Harvard Will Comply With White House Demands for Employee Forms (Bloomberg Law; 29 Jul 2025)

  “Harvard University said it would turn over employment forms for thousands of staff to comply with demands from the Department of Homeland Security…Harvard said it won’t share records for students employed in roles only available to students and that it’s evaluating whether such a request complies with privacy protection obligations.”

• Duke University being investigated by US Department of Education over law journal practices (ABC; 28 Jul 2025)

• The New Federal Hiring Process Explained: What Changed in 2025? (FedSmith; 30 Jul 2025)

• Staff At Small Nonprofits Might Get Retirement Benefits (The NonProfit Times; 31 Jul 2025)

  “Under current law, tax-exempt organizations are ineligible for the SECURE Act’s small business retirement plan start-up credit since they do not pay federal income taxes. This creates a barrier for many nonprofits which contribute an estimated $65 billion annually in payroll taxes. The Small Nonprofit Retirement Security Act would allow nonprofits to apply these tax credits against their payroll tax liability, giving them access to the same retirement incentives already available to for-profit organizations.”

Student Debt & Other Student Concerns

• Congress Enacts Sweeping Student Loan Reforms in Tax Bill (ABA; 31 Jul 2025)

• As student loan interest restarts for SAVE plan borrowers, some are feeling ‘crushed’ (CNN; 31 Jul 2025)

• Federal loan caps may deter students from pursuing professional degrees (The Daily Californian; 1 Aug 2025)

Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

• Justice Department Declares DEI Unlawful (Inside Higher Ed; 30 Jul 2025)

  “the agency’s memo goes even further than ED’s guidance, suggesting that programs that rely on what they describe as stand-ins for race, like recruitment efforts that focus on majority-minority geographic areas, could violate federal civil rights laws. The directive applies to any organization that receives federal funds, and DOJ officials warned that engaging in potentially unlawful practices could lead to a loss in grant funding.” [memo available here]

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

Access to Justice

• US House budget threatens over 600 public defender jobs, judiciary warns (Reuters; 30 Jul 2025)

• Lawmakers outline plan to raise bar advocate wages, hire more public defenders (WBUR; 30 Jul 2025)

  “Massachusetts lawmakers Wednesday announced they reached an agreement among themselves to expand the public defender agency and raise hourly rates for private attorneys who work as public defenders — though for less than what the attorneys are asking for.”

  • Massachusetts court-appointed attorneys could end work stoppage after pay agreement reached (CBS; 30 Jul 2025)

    “Court-appointed attorneys say an agreement reached with Massachusetts lawmakers is a "critical starting point" toward ending a work stoppage that has resulted in more than 120 cases being dismissed. Attorneys are urging Gov. Maura Healey to sign off on a budget deal with state lawmakers that would increase pay rates in the state.”

  • Is it time for Massachusetts to hire more public defenders? (Boston Globe; 31 Jul 2025)

• Legal Aid Society Workers In New York City Reach A Tentative Contract Agreement, Keeping 1,100 Attorneys On The Job (WNY Labor Today; 29 Jul 2025)

  • Legal Aid attorneys 'upset' with tentative agreement, urge 'no' vote (The Chief Leader; 1 Aug 2025)

• As ICE raids sweep through Southern California, grassroots groups become a lifeline for immigrants (LA Times; 31 Jul 2025)

• Private attorneys await pay for aiding public defenders (Arkansas Democrat Gazette; 27 Jul 2025)

• Eviction Knocking At The Door? You Deserve A Lawyer, NJ Congress Members Say (Patch; 30 Jul 2025)