PSJD News Digest – March 23, 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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DOJ Understaffing Takes Toll After 'Unprecedented' Exodus (Law360; 18 Mar 2026)
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Military attorneys fill Minnesota prosecutor gap, raising civilian legal questions (MPR News; 20 Mar 2026)
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DOJ to Start Hiring Prosecutors Directly Out of Law School (Bloomberg Law; 16 Mar 2026)
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Survey of 11,000 feds underscores ‘layer cake of trauma’ (Government Executive; 19 Mar 2026)
“According to the partnership’s data, which was collected last November and December…[j]ust 7.5% of respondents agreed with the notion that political leaders at their agencies generated high levels of motivation for employees. And only 22.5% said they felt confident that they could report a suspected violation of law or regulation without retaliation.”
Federal Restructuring & Funding
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Trump breaches fire wall between watchdogs and agencies they investigate (Washington Post; 19 Mar 2026)
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Hegseth orders ‘ruthless, no-excuses’ review of military legal offices (The Hill; 12 Mar 2026)
Non-Federal Funding & Restructuring
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Mia Bonta Introduces [CA] Bill to Ensure Right to Counsel for Immigrants Facing Deportation (Alameda Post; 20 Mar 2026)
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[NY] Democratic-led state budget proposals include $175M for immigrant legal services (Mid Hudson News; 16 Mar 2026)
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St. Paul Holds $300K in Unspent Immigration Defense Funds (Minneapolis Today; 15 Mar 2026)
“City officials say they're weighing contracts and staffing before deploying the funds to aid residents' long-term legal needs.”
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ICE Concerns Spur Maui’s Move To Sever Ties With Feds (Honolulu Civil Beat; 12 Mar 2026)
Civil Society
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Trump’s immigration crackdown feeds on private data. It’s just getting started (Salon; 12 Mar 2026)
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As Migrant Children Remain in Federal Custody, What Can Nonprofits Do? (NonProfit Quarterly; 19 Mar 2026)
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US access-to-justice non-profit Pro Bono Net rebrands as Scale Justice (Global Legal Post; 19 Mar 2026)
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Lawyer Abbe Lowell hires first partner at firm defending Trump targets (Reuters; 16 Mar 2026)
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Lawyers who specialize in suing Chicago cops seek special prosecutor to go after ICE (The Black Chronicle; 15 Mar 2026)
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Trump-appointed DOJ pardon attorney faces ethics charges over letters to Georgetown University (Jurist; 12 Mar 2026)
Student Debt & Other Student Concerns
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Student loans to go to Treasury Department as Trump continues to dismantle Education Department (AP; 19 Mar 2026)
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$180 Billion in Student Loans Are Now in Default, New Federal Data Shows (College Investor; 16 Mar 2026)
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Student Loans Thrown Into Disarray As Appeals Court Nukes SAVE Plan (Forbes; 10 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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Massachusetts High Court Declines to Hike Pay for Bar Advocates (Bloomberg Law; 16 Mar 2026)
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L.A. will continue to fund eviction defense program (Los Angeles Times; 11 Mar 2026)
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Janet Mills Signs Emergency Bill with $22 Million for Public Defenders Service (Maine Wire; 20 Mar 2026)
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Wisconsin State Public Defenders: On the eve of Public Defense Day, Senate inaction leaves Wisconsin’s constitutional promise underfunded and under-resourced (Wis Politics; 17 Mar 2026)
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Mississippi Senate and House clash over funding for pilot public defender program (Tippah News; 19 Mar 2026)
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Civil legal aid organizations in Maine say they need $3 million to prevent reduction in services (Maine Public; 19 Mar 2026)
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San Francisco Public Defender Faces Contempt Hearing over Case Overload (Davis Vanguard; 20 Mar 2026)
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[NY] Lawmakers, Legal Services Providers & Bar Leaders Urge Full Support Of IOLA Fund (Bronx Daily; 17 Mar 2026)
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Weld County [CO] DA says ICE arrests are preventing dozens of criminal cases from going to trial (NBC 9 News; 13 Mar 2026)
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Solano [CA] public defender strike could halt courts as private attorneys are scarce (Cal Lawyer; 13 Mar 2026)