PSJD News Digest – March 9, 2026
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Hi Interested Public,
Wrap-up of last week’s news, including a number of editor’s choices, is below. Solidarity,
Sam
Editor’s Choice(s)
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As DOJ lawyers face complaints, agency seeks tighter grasp on state bar ethics probes (The Hill; 8 Mar 2026)
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Trump Launches Attorney Recruiting Effort After Thousands Exited (Bloomberg Law; 4 Mar 2026)
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Trump administration reverses course on law firms, vowing to appeal (NPR; 3 Mar 2026)
“Yesterday evening, the DOJ moved to abandon an appeal against four big law firms targeted by President Trump. But this morning, government lawyers reversed course, told the court, never mind and asked to continue the appeal.”
Federal Restructuring & Funding
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They’re Hiring at U.S.A.I.D. Just Not Anyone Who Worked There (New York Times; 2 Mar 2026)
“The Trump administration said in a memo it wanted to “avoid the risk of impaired objectivity” by hiring former staff members to wind down operations at the U.S. Agency for International Development.”
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The "meritocracy" exposed: Internal emails reveal how the Trump administration hires legal interns (Popular Information; 4 Mar 2026)
“You MUST be aligned politically with President Trump… GPA is not a strong factor.”
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Ex-DOJ civil rights attorneys continue their work ‘just not in the division’ (Government Executive; 27 Feb 2026)
“About three quarters of lawyers working on civil rights at the Justice Department have left the division since President Donald Trump took office.”
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New Paper Warns White House–Law Firm Deals Threaten Lawyer Independence (Penn Carey Law News; 4 Mar 2026)
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DOJ contradicts FEMA on who approved mass firings (Government Executive; 3 Mar 2026)
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Employee groups revive lawsuit to block Schedule F (Government Executive; 6 Mar 2026)
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How federal HR modernization can better serve employees [opinion] (Government Executive; 2 Mar 2026)
Non-Federal Funding & Restructuring
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State [of MA] Earmarks Cash for Legal Aid (Belmont Voice; 3 Mar 2026)
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Trump Is Capping Grad Student Loans. Connecticut Has a Backup Plan (US News; 27 Feb 2026)
Civil Society
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LawHelpMN Launches Minnesota Immigration Legal Help Campaign (Red Lake Nation News; 5 Mar 2026)
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Georgia law students say “Hell no” to ICE recruiting at interscholastic career fair (Atlanta Community Press Collective; 27 Feb 2026)
“Hundreds of students and dozens of organizations across Georgia’s five major law schools demand ICE be uninvited to the schools’ Public Sector Career Fair[.]”
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Minnesota chief judge again threatens to hold federal prosecutor in criminal contempt (MinnPost; 27 Feb 2026)
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Federal judges who've ruled against Trump administration denounce threats against themselves, their families (CBS; 1 Mar 2026)
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America’s judges are under attack, ‘legal giant’ says at USC law school event (The State; 3 Mar 2026)
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Student Debt & Other Student Concerns
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Law school offers its own student loans as US borrowing cap looms (Reuters; 2 Mar 2026)
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Legal Aid Groups Urge the Department of Education to Protect Struggling Borrowers as “Big Bill” Brings Sweeping Changes (National Consumer Law Center; 3 Mar 2026)
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6 Key Points For Student Loans After Shock Court Decision Preserves Repayment Plan, For Now (Forbes; 2 Mar 2026)
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Illinois AG joins pushback from states, nurses against federal student loan change (Chicago Business; 3 Mar 2026)
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Oregon senator Merkley fights student loan changes in Washington (KDRV; 2 Mar 2026)
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Too many borrowers are falling behind on student loan repayment [Editorial] (Boston Globe; 5 Mar 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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Wisconsin bill adds judges, prosecutors to cut backlog (Wisconsin Law Journal; 3 Mar 2026)
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San Francisco[, CA] Public Defender Faces Contempt Threat Over Case Refusals (San Francisco Today; 5 Mar 2026)
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After courtroom victory, Oregon public defenders plan to take caseload dilemma to state's highest court (KGW8; 5 Mar 2026)
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NY nonprofit loses lawsuit over non-lawyers giving free legal advice (Reuters; 6 Mar 2026)
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New York Bill Would Create Liability for Chatbot Proprietors Offering Professional Advice (Holland & Knight; 6 Mar 2026)
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Massachusetts public defender crisis largely resolved — for now, officials say (MassLive; 3 Mar 2026)
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The WalMart of public defense: How justice gets sold to the lowest bidder in rural California (Sacramento News & Review; 4 Mar 2026)
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[MS] Public defender pay gap prompts emergency funding request (WLBT; 2 Mar 2026)
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Hinds County [MS] Public Defender’s Office seeks emergency funding (WJTV; 2 Mar 2026)
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[Federal] SHIELD Act Introduced to Expand Legal Aid for Immigrants Facing Deportation (Davis Vanguard; 5 Mar 2026)