PSJD News Digest – February 13, 2026
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)
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Case dismissals, hastened plea deals follow U.S. Attorney staffing exodus in Minnesota (Minnesota Star-Tribune; 12 Feb 2026)
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Top Minnesota prosecutor says ICE cases are sidelining ‘pressing priorities’ (Politico; 5 Feb 2026)
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White House fires U.S. attorney in N.Y. hours after judges appointed him (Washington Post; 12 Feb 2026)
Federal Restructuring & Funding
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How Trump Has Reshaped the Justice Department and Other Criminal Justice Areas in His Second Term (The Marshall Project; 24 Jan 2026)
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OPM seeks to consolidate power over employee appeals in new regulations (Government Executive; 9 Feb 2026)
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Congress paused all federal layoffs for 3 months. That's set to change this week (Government Executive; 10 Feb 2026)
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Trump’s Grant Terminations Upheld by Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (Inside Climate News; 23 Jan 2026)
Non-Federal Funding & Restructuring
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City of Minneapolis allocates $1 million for immigration legal services due to increased demand (ABC 5 KSTP; 9 Feb 2026)
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Grant expands Ventura County [CA] Public Defenders' immigration services (VC Star; 10 Feb 2026)
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Travis County district attorney joins coalition vowing to prevent alleged federal agent misconduct (The Daily Texan; 12 Feb 2026)
Civil Society
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9 Legal Aid NC offices shuttered as funding freeze continues with no word on when it will end (Yahoo; 10 Feb 2026)
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Former federal prosecutor who quit amid Trump administration dispute now representing Don Lemon (AP; 10 Feb 2026)
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“It’s Taking a Village”: South Side Legal Aid Clinic for Immigrants Adapts Amid Heightened ICE Presence (Chicago Maroon; 25 Jan 2026)
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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
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ABA Delegates Back Forgiving Loans For Public Interest Attys (Law360; 9 Feb 2026)
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Millions of student loan borrowers aren't repaying their loans — and defaults are up (NPR; 10 Feb 2026)
Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
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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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Fund WA’s right-to-counsel program to prevent evictions [opinion] (Seattle Times; 13 Feb 2026)
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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.”
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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.”
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Hennepin County attorney criticizes ICE courthouse arrests, warns of impact on court participation (NBC 11 KARE; 10 Feb 2026)
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Attorneys' group forms to renew fight over bar advocate pay (Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly; 13 Feb 2026)
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Sheboygan [WI] homicide hearings delayed amid public defender shortage (Sheboygan Press; 12 Feb 2026)