Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
Hi Interested Public,
Apologies for a doorstop of a digest this week, covering this week and the one prior to the July 4 holiday. Let me explain. No, it’s too much. Let me sum up.
In Washington DC, the federal judiciary cleared the way for the Trump Administration to proceed with portions of its agenda hugely significant to public interest law: the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump Administration’s effort to radically reduce and restructure the federal civil service (the State Department seems to be the first agency in line) and D.D.C. determined that the DOJ’s decision to terminate grants to immigration legal service providers is not subject to judicial review. In Congress, the President’s budget reconciliation bill passed, including significant changes to the Department of Education’s student loan programs. In the Executive Branch, the Department of Education completed a multi-day negotiated rulemaking process without reaching consensus with the civil society representatives it had invited and the Trump administration extended its hiring freeze through this October. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the United States, governments are adapting: New York City, Los Angeles, and Massachusetts expanded funding for immigrant legal services and Arizona funded civil legal aid within its state budget for the first time in history. Also at the city level, labor actions; Boston’s public defender strike drags on and NYC public interest lawyers look increasingly ready to start one of their own.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Solidarity,
“The Office of Personnel Management sought to soften the importance of essay prompts for federal job applicants after critics warned the test would screen applicants based on how they’d help President Donald Trump’s agenda…OPM notified federal agency heads last week in a written notice that the essay questions outlined in a May 29 memo “must not be used as a means of determining whether the candidate fulfills the qualifications of a position.”…The notice represents a rare reversal on the Trump administration’s push to root out those disloyal to Trump and to cut tens of thousands of jobs from the federal workforce. The new memo was made public by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a worker advocacy group that filed a complaint with the US Office of Special Counsel alleging that the new essay questions amounted to a loyalty test for nonpartisan civil servants.”
“The decision could result in job losses for tens of thousands of employees at agencies including the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, State and Treasury. The order, which lifted a lower court’s ruling that had blocked mass layoffs, was unsigned and did not include a vote count. That is typical in such emergency applications. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote a public dissent.”
“Federal agency leaders still face obstacles to implementing widespread layoffs, and some are even reversing course after the Supreme Court greenlit President Donald Trump‘s order to cut the public workforce.”
“The Merit Systems Protection Board reported that, so far this fiscal year, it has received 11,166 appeals, which is twice its typical workload. A backlog could emerge if a quorum is not restored to the agency to issue final decisions.”
“The memo, viewed by Splinter, changes the official policy surrounding probationary employees, flipping the script on how the end of a probationary period will generally go. If you were a potential employee, well, you might not be now. “If not terminated sooner, the appointment of an employee serving a probationary or trial period terminates [emphasis theirs throughout] before the end of the tour of duty on the last day of his/her probationary or trial period,” the memo states, “unless the appropriate DOC management official certifies that finalizing his/her appointment advances the public interest.“”
“According to multiple sources inside the Environmental Protection Agency, an “upset” Administrator Lee Zeldin has begun retaliating against agency staff who signed a Declaration of Dissent opposing his destructive tenure. This is pretty obviously illegal.”
“The Justice Department convinced a federal district judge to dismiss a lawsuit that challenged President Donald Trump‘s pause on funding for legal orientation service provider contracts to aid immigrants. DOJ’s decision to terminate immigrant assistance programs isn’t subject to judicial review, said Judge Randolph D. Moss of the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Sunday, granting in part the agency’s motion for summary judgment and dismissing the remainder of the suit from a dozen subcontractor groups.”
“In addition to temporary losses of federal funding, immigration nonprofits have also lost some of the pro bono support available to them, as major law firms allegedly have begun to turn down lawsuits challenging the administration’s immigration policies to avoid being targeted themselves…Immigration lawyers are facing increasingly prevalent accusations of illegal activity, such as encouraging their clients to exaggerate or lie about their persecution.”
“A former Bronx prosecutor who served as general counsel for New York City's asylum seeker operations will lead a new municipal office meant to help facilitate pro bono legal assistance[.]”
“Critics say a last-minute push by state lawmakers to shore up nonprofits in the face of looming federal budget cuts may be unconstitutional. The new law creating a unique committee to pass out up to $50 million in extra aid to Hawaiʻi nonprofit organizations this year has triggered a warning letter from a public interest law firm saying the plan would be vulnerable to legal challenges.”
“Critics [] say the changes could hurt students from low-income backgrounds. “There’s a lot of concern there that with these new caps, with the elimination of the grad plus program, these students just won’t have the options that they had to really go get their degrees,” said Sheffey.”
“The Department of Education (ED) began its final day of negotiated rulemaking (Neg Reg) with hopes of reaching a consensus on its proposed rules on changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. ED sent out updated proposed language Tuesday evening, and even provided a newer updated version just minutes into the session's start, but ultimately, consensus eluded the committee…Negotiators Abby Shafroth of the Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project and Betsy Mayotte of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors argued that while the higher standard was an improvement, it failed to address the core issue: the proposal grants the Secretary the power to adjudicate violations of complex laws (such as immigration or medical regulations) that fall far outside ED’s expertise.”
“Following a muddled consultation process with a panel of experts, the Department of Education is on its way to implementing that new policy, which would target people involved in whatever Secretary of Education Linda McMahon deems to be “illegal activities,” like assisting undocumented immigrants, supporting transgender people, and so-called terrorism (supporting Palestinians). But as the Associated Press points out, the possible wrongdoing is so open-ended that the policy could be used as a tool of retribution against a wide range of people and organizations:”
“With the ink barely dry on monumental trade deals and the 2017 tax cuts now permanently extended, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a pivotal new focus for his department: the nation’s sprawling student loan debt…He was quick to differentiate the upcoming Treasury approach from previous efforts, explicitly rejecting former President Joe Biden’s debt forgiveness strategies. “I do think that just forgiving student debt was unacceptable,” he asserted. Instead, Bessent promised a more nuanced and impactful solution. “I think that there is a firm and humane way to deal with the student debt crisis. And we are going to be focused on that here at Treasury,” he continued. The Secretary highlighted the significant burden student loans place on young Americans, noting that many graduate “post-college with the equivalent of a mortgage.””
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
Hi Interested Public,
Thanks for your patience. (Last) week was quite eventful–even by the standards of 2025. The news below will bring you up to speed through last weekend–with a couple of exceptions where the information I had collected last week had already been superceded. Major news out of the Supreme Court last week; commentators moved swiftly to unpack what a ruling concerning the availability of “universal” injunctions as a remedy may mean for other Trump Administration policies currently enjoined by federal courts–including policies pertaining to federal reductions in force. Meanwhile, a draft purporting to be a plan to limit the availability of Public Service Loan Forgiveness to workers at certain employers leaked from the Department of Education.
High drama continues in the US Congress, as the Senate debates a budget bill which contemplates major changes to student loans and potentially federal benefits (student loan changes for current borrowers and changes to the structure of federal benefits were taken out by the Senate parliamentarian, when last I checked). At the state level, the Governor of Maryland implemented a hiring freeze, the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services warned it may run out of money, and the Oregon legislature approved a budget plan that included compensation incentives for public defenders to exceed state-imposed caseload limits (and provisions for slashing pay for defenders who don’t carry sufficient caseloads). In civil society, nonprofits work to adapt to ongoing changes to their funding environment, while the Department of Justice announced an investigation into the hiring practices of the University of California.
The Digest will be off on July 4th, and will return with stories from this week and next week on 7/11.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Solidarity,
“The Supreme Court on Friday limited individual judges’ capacity to strike down government policy on a nationwide basis, a decision with potentially far-reaching impacts on how federal agencies carry out their work. The high court left in place some carve outs, however, including one that could—at least temporarily—protect a judge’s ruling that is currently blocking the Trump administration from carrying out widespread layoffs…In a footnote of the opinion, however, Barrett added that nothing in the decision “resolves the distinct question whether the Administrative Procedure Act authorizes federal courts to vacate federal agency action.” District court judges in both the larger RIF injunction and one more specifically tailored to the Education Department relied in part on the APA to support their findings.”
“Loans issued after July 1, 2027, would have fewer options for deferment or cancellation…Limit loans for graduate and professional students and parents; and eliminate graduate and professional PLUS loan program…Limit income-driven repayment options and allow payments made under a new program to count for people who currently use the public service loan forgiveness program.”
“The Education Department is planning to put new limits on which employers can qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, according to a draft proposal obtained by an advocacy group. Any employers who engage in what the department calls “activities that have a substantial illegal purpose” could be kicked out of the program, and any payments that borrowers make while working for them won’t count after their employers are no longer eligible, according to the draft document.” [draft proposal here]
“In draft regulatory text circulated this week by the U.S. Education Department, the agency proposed stripping eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness from organizations engaging in activities that have “a substantial illegal purpose.” Representatives from certain interest groups, including consumer advocates, borrowers and servicers, will debate the plan and its implications for the future of PSLF next week.”
“All provisions affecting the federal workforce in the GOP reconciliation bill have been removed from the Senate’s legislative text, after lawmakers convened over the weekend in an attempt to bring the bill closer to the finish line. As Republicans work to finalize their legislation by a self-imposed July 4 deadline, lawmakers have revised and taken multiple proposals out of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” — including one provision that would have made all newly hired federal employees choose between at-will employment and a 10% increase to their Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) contribution rate.”
“The City’s contract with Stay Housed LA, set to expire June 30, was approved for a five-year, $34 million extension by the City Council in April and signed by Mayor Karen Bass on May 1. However, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto declined to approve the deal last week. A spokesperson for the City Attorney’s Office said Feldstein Soto views awarding it as a sole-source contract as violating the city’s charter, an issue which was not presented amidst the city council vote earlier this year.”
“Starting next month, nine Indiana counties, including Lawrence County, will participate in a pilot program offering partial state reimbursement for public defender costs in misdemeanor cases.”f
“Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told senators Wednesday that Congress might want to consider permitting greater dischargeability of student loans, questioning whether it is a "wise national policy" to treat such debt differently under the federal bankruptcy laws[.]”
Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
Hi Interested Public,
Welcome to the end of another week. In DC, the Senate’s proposed budget reconciliation would significantly reduce Congress’ official role in restructuring executive agencies, while the Department of Justice saw thousands of additional staff take buyout offers. A report on the state of the nonprofit sector indicates many leaders expect to experience increased demand for their services while a significant proportion of them are already facing operating deficits. District courts issued additional orders against the Trump Administration in a variety of cases–including one that would see them reinstate legal services for families separated at the border. At the state level, a Texas court preliminarily blocked that state’s Attorney General from implementing oversight policies that would have given him significantly more control over the actions of locally-elected district attorneys.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Solidarity,
“[A] provision added to the Senate iteration of Republicans’ proposed budget reconciliation package would give the White House $100 million to reorganize federal agencies as President Trump sees fit, without congressional input in what critics decried as an “abrogation” of Congress’ power and responsibility…The measure requires the White House to submit an annual report of planned reorganizational moves, but otherwise exempts the administration from most provisions of the federal law governing such actions. And the 10-year reorganization authority could not be used by a future Democratic president to rebuild federal agencies, thanks to language requiring reorganizations be cost-neutral and not “result in an increase in the number of federal agencies.””
“Federal public defenders need an additional $116 million this summer to avoid an expected budget shortfall and the “catastrophic complications” that stem from starting the next fiscal year in a deficit, a top defender warned Democrats…Court officials have warned that the defender services program will run out of funds in mid-July to pay attorneys on what’s known as the Criminal Justice Act panel for their work over the last few months of this fiscal year.”
“Approximately 4,500 Justice Department employees have accepted the Trump administration’s offer to participate in its deferred resignation program, according to new budget documents…DOJ offices have seen widespread resignations of career attorneys since President Donald Trump took office…More than two-thirds of the roughly 380 career lawyers at the civil rights division, which enforces anti-discrimination laws, have left or been reassigned since January…The administration would like to shrink the civil rights division from 626 total positions, including 386 attorneys, to 353 positions, including 193 attorneys, according to the budget summary. The administration is also eyeing staffing cuts in other DOJ offices. The document proposes cutting 113 positions next fiscal year from the Environment and Natural Resources Division, a roughly 30% reduction.”
“In its 2026 budget request, the Department of Justice has significantly reduced the number of prosecutors at the Criminal Division, slashing the number of overseas postings.”
“The State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey (23 pages, PDF), conducted in partnership with Ambit 360 Consulting and EVITARUS, includes detailed financial and operational data from 2,206 nonprofits and is designed to guide funding and advocacy decisions. The report found that 85 percent of respondents expect service demand to increase in 2025, and 36 percent ended 2024 with an operating deficit, the highest in 10 years of NFF’s survey data.”
“According to the letter, the federal investigation “is based on information” that the state government uses affirmative action employment practices “that discriminate based on race, national origin, or other protected characteristics in violation of Title VII.”
“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton cannot enforce reporting requirements seeking confidential files and communications from prosecutors in large, urban counties, a Travis County judge ruled this week.”
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
Hi Interested Public,
It’s been another dramatic week. In DC, a Senator suggested that a legal services organization in Los Angeles had “provided logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in [] disruptive actions”, an employee association of government workers challenged the Office of Personnel Management’s recently-promulgated “Merit Hiring Plan”, and various commentators engaged with the Senate’s newly-released version of the Trump Administration’s budget bill. Nationwide, State Chief Court Justices appealed to Congress not to oblige the Trump Administration’s request to eliminate the Legal Services Corporation (a new section catalogues some responses to this proposed policy), a variety of state governments and academic institutions filed a slew of amicus briefs supporting Harvard in its dispute with the Trump Administration, and the Skadden Foundation released its 2025 Fellowship Application.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Solidarity,
““How would you help advance the president’s executive orders and policy priorities in this role?” the question states. “Identify one or two relevant executive orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.” Those questions already are becoming a requirement of the hiring process; a job listing posted last week by the Interior Department for the superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial includes the questionnaire. However, responses are limited to “200 characters,” far short of OPM’s recommended 200-word maximum.
But Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, an employee association made up of federal, state and local government workers, on Wednesday called on acting U.S. Special Counsel Jamieson Greer to take action against the questionnaire. The group argued that the executive order question in particular violates federal hiring laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of “non-performance-related factors” and political affiliation, and that it conflicts with merit system principles.”
“In a written opinion Monday, Judge Denise Cote found OPM “violated the law and bypassed its established cybersecurity practices” when officials first granted individuals from DOGE broad access to its IT systems. “The plaintiffs have shown that the defendants disclosed OPM records to individuals who had no legal right of access to those records,” Cote wrote. “In doing so, the defendants violated the Privacy Act and departed from cybersecurity standards that they are obligated to follow. This was a breach of law and of trust. Tens of millions of Americans depend on the Government to safeguard records that reveal their most private and sensitive affairs.””
“A controversial measure in the U.S. House’s budget bill that would have allowed the federal government to label nonprofit organizations as terrorist groups has been removed from the Senate’s version. But legal experts warn the idea could resurface—and still presents a chilling possibility for free speech and civic engagement.”
“A growing coalition of prosecutors, local governments, and grassroots organizations is sounding the alarm over the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) abrupt termination of over $820 million in public safety and violence prevention funding…Among those weighing in are 17 states and the District of Columbia, a coalition of 25 prosecutors and municipal leaders including Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, and a group of community-based subgrantees warning that their survival now hangs in the balance.”
“VA [Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness] has never undertaken such a large restructuring, and does not have the capabilities, expertise or the internal resources to fulfill the requirement,” the department said in the memo. “Therefore, OPM, an outside resource, will be essential for this effort.”
“A federal court in California ruled the Trump administration breached the settlement agreement stemming from the American Civil Liberties Union’s family separation lawsuit. At issue is the administration’s sudden and unexplained termination of a contract guaranteeing legal services to clients covered in the 2023 agreement.”
“Hawley, who serves as chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, requested a history of internal communications and financial records from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) to address allegations that they are fueling chaos in California. “Credible reporting now suggests that your organization has provided logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in these disruptive actions,” Hawley wrote in the letter. CHIRLA did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the matter. However, the 39-year-old nonprofit did deny reports that they were involved in the Los Angeles demonstrations…The organization has received funds from various sources including the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate local citizenship education training.”
“We wanted to learn more about how federal agencies like the FCC, Internal Revenue Service, and Department of Justice are abusing their authority to target First Amendment rights, so we hosted a discussion with FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez and Ezra Reese, an expert in nonprofit tax law and political law from the Elias Law Group…
…In many instances discussed by Gomez and Reese, officials have hijacked vague legal standards to use them in ways that would threaten the First Amendment. The FCC, for instance, has brought investigations under its “news distortion” policy or sought to use its statutory language instructing it to license the airwaves in the public interest to go after news outlets it disfavors because of their coverage.
Gomez was highly critical of these moves, explaining, “The idea that the FCC would take enforcement action or revoke a broadcast license based on editorial decisions is antithetical to the First Amendment and the Communications Act, which prohibits the FCC from censorship.” As she succinctly put it, “The administration is conflating the public interest with its interests.””
“Destroying LSC would compound other Trump administration attacks on the nation’s legal fabric, including its efforts to: impound legal services funding for unaccompanied immigrant kids, survivors of domestic violence, and victims of natural disasters; intimidate attorneys from engaging in pro bono work; and decimate government enforcement agencies that check abuses…Inside every firm, nonprofit, and corporation, lawyers must ask how we can shore up the rule of law. Options abound.”
“Even as California fights President Donald Trump's use of military forces to assist immigration actions, state lawmakers are poised to restrict who can receive taxpayer-funded legal help in deportation proceedings. Tucked into a 1,000-page spending bill endorsed by legislative budget committees on Wednesday are two sentences that would bar spending any Equal Access Fund money on defending immigrants with felony convictions. The quiet addition to legislation set for full house votes on Friday has legal aid groups scrambling to figure out how to comply at a time demand for their services is soaring.”
“A prominent San Francisco nonprofit leader is starting a hunger strike in June, in protest of a proposed budget cut that threatens to strangle civil legal services in the city. Adrian Tirtanadi is the founder of Open Door Legal, which provides legal services for San Francisco’s low-income residents. Access to these services, Tirtanadi said, can help build a bridge out of poverty in America.”
“FreeState Justice, the Baltimore nonprofit providing free legal services to LGBTQIA+ people across the state, expects to have its budget reduced by 25% after losing a grant issued by the governor’s office, officials confirmed this week.”
“Now, with only the budget to cover one attorney and one paralegal, they have had to drastically cut down on the number of cases, but the demand is still there.”
“Like the House bill, the Senate measure proposes cutting the number of student loan repayment plans to just two. That change would kill President Joe Biden's Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, program, which former Education Secretary Miguel Cardona repeatedly called the "most affordable repayment plan ever." SAVE has been stalled in court for months, placing roughly 8 million people in forbearance…The Senate bill would also dramatically curb lending for graduate students and parents (though at lower caps than House Republicans wanted). Ben Cecil, a senior education policy advisor at Third Way, a center-left think tank, said he was pleased to see the bill appeared to make compromises…Melanie Storey, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said she was "relieved" some of the "most harmful" provisions of the House bill had been nixed.”
“While GOP senators would make some modest changes to the House bill, most of the House-passed provisions repealing key student loan forgiveness and affordable repayment programs would remain intact. This increases the likelihood that the changes would make it into the final version of the bill and ultimately become law.”
“The bill would impose new loan amount limits, simplify repayment options, and make colleges partially responsible for student defaults on loans. The net effect would make federal student loans more expensive.”
“The documents, submitted to a federal court, showed that the Department of Education had been negotiating a deal with the Treasury to oversee federal student loans, a role historically managed by the department's Federal Student Aid office. The plan was put on hold after a federal judge blocked the administration's broader efforts to dismantle the Department of Education.”
“Overall, the number of applicants to law schools is up nationwide. Historically, high salaries, status and furthering academic and career goals were at the top of the list of reasons students chose to pursue a legal degree. But now, most students say that what inspires them is a desire to do good…While many students have always studied law to help serve them in other professions, this too, is shifting. Alber said that most of their applicants express a genuine interest in practicing law or otherwise using the degree to further their goals related to public policy.”
“On June 9, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a ruling in San Francisco AIDS Foundation v. Trump, temporarily blocking the enforcement of several provisions in executive orders issued earlier this year by President Trump. These orders target diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and so-called “gender ideology.”…While the injunction applies only to the named plaintiffs in the case and the challenged provisions remain in effect for all others, the court’s reasoning offers early insight into how similar legal challenges may be evaluated as litigation continues to unfold.”
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
Hi Interested Public,
Coming to you with a (late) Monday-morning edition due to unforeseen circumstances. I plan to resume our regular schedule at the end of this week. The last week has been absolutely packed with huge stories, which I’ve tried to compile for you in the links below. Most significantly, the Trump Administration released its plan for ending the Legal Services Corporation, while we got some significant news about the potential future of the Skadden Fellowship program. In other news, the House of Representatives made highly-charged accusations against nonprofits in a public hearing, while the Trump administration threatened the ability of Columbia University students to secure federal student loans to cover their studies there.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Solidarity,
“The 2026 budget appendix requests $21 million for an “orderly closeout” of the LSC, which was established in 1974 to provide financial support for legal aid to low-income people in the US. The independent agency, which provides funding to 130 non-profit legal aid programs, had requested $2.1 billion for fiscal 2026.”
“I recently offered my resignation as executive director of the Skadden Foundation, rather than endorse actions that I believe will undermine its mission,” Kathleen Rubenstein, a former Skadden fellow herself who has run the program since 2019, [said]…Rubenstein’s departure adds to the air of uncertainty around the fellows program, which was specifically mentioned in the deal that Skadden struck with the White House in order to avoid an executive order like the kind the president issued against other law firms perceived as sympathetic to his perceived enemies. Four firms have sued the administration over such orders and three of those orders have been ruled unconstitutional.”
“Advocates who supported Catholic Charities cheered the ruling as a blow for religious liberty and against attempts to define whether or not an organization’s motives are sufficiently rooted in faith…Organizations that represent workers, however, have raised questions about the decision’s broader implications for employees of other institutions connected to churches, including the large networks of Catholic hospitals across the U.S.”
“Agencies would be allowed to refer misconduct cases to OPM instead of following the conventional disciplinary process. If OPM determines that termination of an employee is necessary, the agency would have five days to initiate the termination process. The proposed rule also incorporates new suitability criteria as directed by President Trump’s Executive Order issued on February 11, 2025[.]”
“Through the network, trained former Justice Department lawyers will volunteer to represent current and recent former employees in employment disputes and in criminal or congressional investigations, according to Justice Connection.”
“The Trump Administration has adopted new hiring procedures that will impose ideological litmus tests in federal hiring. Job applicants will be graded on essays about their allegiance to “America’s founding principles” and their commitment to implementing Trump’s executive orders.”
“Republican lawmakers alleged a “money laundering” scheme funneling taxpayer dollars to Democratic officials. Nonprofit defenders claimed the Trump administration is “weaponizing the federal government” to chill nonprofit activity and speech.”
“Mayor Adams encouraged asylum seekers Tuesday to continue showing up for immigration court hearings, even as the city’s Law Department blasted President Trump’s administration for creating “a culture of fear” by using such proceedings as ICE hunting grounds for Trump’s “mass deportation” efforts.”
“With the announcement Wednesday that the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights had notified Columbia University's accreditor that it failed to meet its standards of accreditation, officials took their first shot at student loan and Pell grant money. Accreditors are independent bodies that assess schools' quality and finances and their determination is crucial to schools' flow of Title IV funds or federal financial aid.
If a college isn't accredited, its students can't get federal loans and grants to attend. For most colleges, losing access to this funding would be catastrophic.“
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
Hi Interested Public,
Another major week for news. Most significantly, the Supreme Court lifted a preliminary order, allowing President Trump’s acts firing top officials at the MSPB and NLRB to stand pending the final outcome of litigation. Meanwhile, a lower court blocked the Trump Administration’s plan to transfer its student loan management from the Department of Education to the Small Business Administration. The US State Department has ceased issuing all student visas as it works to overhaul its approval process in order to scrutinize applicants’ social media profiles; students at Harvard weigh in on the personal effects of the Administration’s recent move to revoke visas at that institution specifically. Multiple stories discuss the nonprofit sector as civil society begins to feel the effects of federal funding cuts.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Solidarity,
“The majority wrote that Mr. Trump could remove officials who exercise power on his behalf “because the Constitution vests the executive power in the president.” They wrote that this authority was subject to only “narrow exceptions recognized by our precedents.” In her dissent, Justice Kagan countered that the majority was chipping away at longstanding precedent that, she wrote, “forecloses both the president’s firings and the court’s decision to award emergency relief.”
…Weakening the power of the two boards is part of Mr. Trump’s campaign to reshape the government and the workplace. The Merit Systems Protection Board reviews federal employment disputes, while the National Labor Relations Board safeguards the rights of private-sector workers.”
“The Merit Hiring Plan released to agencies Thursday afternoon by the Office of Personnel Management…explicitly orders agencies not to take race and gender into consideration in hiring…Agencies are ordered to immediately stop releasing data on workforce demographics, and to stop hiring people based on race and gender. That data was key, proponents say, to understanding if there was widespread discrimination in hiring practices. The numbers will still be collected, just not released.”
“Hundreds of recently hired and subsequently fired employees at the Homeland Security Department will be part of a class action alleging their dismissals were unlawful after a Merit Systems Protection Board administrative judge granted the request. The DHS ruling was the first to come down after a consortium of lawyers filed similar challenges on behalf of fired probationary employees at 20 federal agencies.”
“A month ago, Disability Rights New Jersey, the state’s legal watchdog for people with disabilities, didn’t know if it could make payroll. Federal dollars the nonprofit depends on had been delayed or withheld without explanation by the Trump administration…Over the past month, Disability Rights New Jersey temporarily stopped accepting new clients and restructured how it handles requests for legal help. The pause came after five attorneys resigned.”
“Data from the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) shows 36% of executives reported having either some or a lot a difficulty filling positions, down from 49% from CEP’s 2024 report. However, those executives reported still having difficulty pursuing organizational missions in a complex environment shaped by the current political climate and future economic uncertainty.”
“Skadden, after cutting a deal with President Donald Trump to take on causes he supports, is moving in the opposite direction by helping an immigrant try to avoid removal from the US.
“The State Department is temporarily halting interviews abroad with foreign citizens applying for student and exchange visas as it expands scrutiny of applicants’ social media posts…without specifying what could flag an applicant for rejection under a new social media policy. The statement noted that visa applicants have been asked to provide social media account information on forms since 2019.”
“At Harvard University and Harvard Law School, students and faculty have expressed “profound fear, concern and confusion” in response to the Trump administration's efforts to block international students from attending the school, according to court documents in the university's federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security over the mandate.”
“How has Harvard supported its international student community?
When Harvard filed its suit in the district court to stop the action, we received a copy of the complaint from the school president and a message reiterating his support for international students and scholars on campus. And then we got an email from the international office where the very first line said, “You belong here.” This goes back to what I was saying about how it felt when I first started at Harvard Law, and it’s such an important message to hear right now. When the government is telling us that we are not wanted, our school is standing behind us.”
Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
“The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation into a state prosecutor’s office—not for breaking the law, but for how the law is applied. This should concern anyone who believes in local control and limited government. In Minnesota, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty directed her team to consider race and age during plea negotiations. The policy’s stated purpose is to address racial disparities and account for youths’ still-developing brains—and although Moriarty emphasized that those factors alone do not justify departing from sentencing guidelines, the DOJ claims the policy might violate civil rights law.”
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
Hi Interested Public,
Another major week for news. Most significantly, the Supreme Court lifted a preliminary order, allowing President Trump’s acts firing top officials at the MSPB and NLRB to stand pending the final outcome of litigation. Meanwhile, a lower court blocked the Trump Administration’s plan to transfer its student loan management from the Department of Education to the Small Business Administration. The US State Department has ceased issuing all student visas as it works to overhaul its approval process in order to scrutinize applicants’ social media profiles; students at Harvard weigh in on the personal effects of the Administration’s recent move to revoke visas at that institution specifically. Multiple stories discuss the nonprofit sector as civil society begins to feel the effects of federal funding cuts.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Solidarity,
“The majority wrote that Mr. Trump could remove officials who exercise power on his behalf “because the Constitution vests the executive power in the president.” They wrote that this authority was subject to only “narrow exceptions recognized by our precedents.” In her dissent, Justice Kagan countered that the majority was chipping away at longstanding precedent that, she wrote, “forecloses both the president’s firings and the court’s decision to award emergency relief.”
…Weakening the power of the two boards is part of Mr. Trump’s campaign to reshape the government and the workplace. The Merit Systems Protection Board reviews federal employment disputes, while the National Labor Relations Board safeguards the rights of private-sector workers.”
“The Merit Hiring Plan released to agencies Thursday afternoon by the Office of Personnel Management…explicitly orders agencies not to take race and gender into consideration in hiring…Agencies are ordered to immediately stop releasing data on workforce demographics, and to stop hiring people based on race and gender. That data was key, proponents say, to understanding if there was widespread discrimination in hiring practices. The numbers will still be collected, just not released.”
“Hundreds of recently hired and subsequently fired employees at the Homeland Security Department will be part of a class action alleging their dismissals were unlawful after a Merit Systems Protection Board administrative judge granted the request. The DHS ruling was the first to come down after a consortium of lawyers filed similar challenges on behalf of fired probationary employees at 20 federal agencies.”
“A month ago, Disability Rights New Jersey, the state’s legal watchdog for people with disabilities, didn’t know if it could make payroll. Federal dollars the nonprofit depends on had been delayed or withheld without explanation by the Trump administration…Over the past month, Disability Rights New Jersey temporarily stopped accepting new clients and restructured how it handles requests for legal help. The pause came after five attorneys resigned.”
“Data from the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) shows 36% of executives reported having either some or a lot a difficulty filling positions, down from 49% from CEP’s 2024 report. However, those executives reported still having difficulty pursuing organizational missions in a complex environment shaped by the current political climate and future economic uncertainty.”
“Skadden, after cutting a deal with President Donald Trump to take on causes he supports, is moving in the opposite direction by helping an immigrant try to avoid removal from the US.
“The State Department is temporarily halting interviews abroad with foreign citizens applying for student and exchange visas as it expands scrutiny of applicants’ social media posts…without specifying what could flag an applicant for rejection under a new social media policy. The statement noted that visa applicants have been asked to provide social media account information on forms since 2019.”
“At Harvard University and Harvard Law School, students and faculty have expressed “profound fear, concern and confusion” in response to the Trump administration's efforts to block international students from attending the school, according to court documents in the university's federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security over the mandate.”
“How has Harvard supported its international student community?
When Harvard filed its suit in the district court to stop the action, we received a copy of the complaint from the school president and a message reiterating his support for international students and scholars on campus. And then we got an email from the international office where the very first line said, “You belong here.” This goes back to what I was saying about how it felt when I first started at Harvard Law, and it’s such an important message to hear right now. When the government is telling us that we are not wanted, our school is standing behind us.”
Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
“The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation into a state prosecutor’s office—not for breaking the law, but for how the law is applied. This should concern anyone who believes in local control and limited government. In Minnesota, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty directed her team to consider race and age during plea negotiations. The policy’s stated purpose is to address racial disparities and account for youths’ still-developing brains—and although Moriarty emphasized that those factors alone do not justify departing from sentencing guidelines, the DOJ claims the policy might violate civil rights law.”
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
Hi Interested Public,
Welcome to the end of another week. Glad you’re still with us. Events fall fast and thick around us again this week: In Cambridge MA, the Harvard Chapter of the American Association of University Professors has called upon colleagues at sister institutions to assist the University’s international students who face potential immigration problems after the Trump Administration suddenly decertified Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (later in the day, a federal court issued a temporary restraining order against the decertification). Also in MA, a federal judge pressed the government to lay out with specificity its rationale against “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” in a case against the National Institutes of Health. In California, another judge issued another order preventing ongoing reductions in force at a broad swath of agencies; the Trump Administration has already appealed. In Congress, a bill that would rewrite huge swathes of federal policy, including student loans and non-profit tax status, passed the House of Representatives.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Solidarity,
“When a university’s SEVP certification is revoked, currently enrolled international students must choose between transferring to a different institution, changing their immigration status, or leaving the country, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement website…In the letter to Garber, Noem alleged that the records that Harvard submitted on April 30 were “insufficient” and failed to address “simple reporting requirements.” She also accused Harvard of “perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, you have lost this privilege.”…
Noem gave Harvard 72 hours to turn over a flurry of documents to the DHS to have “the opportunity” to regain its SEVP certification before the upcoming academic year. Those documents include paper records, audio, and video of protest activity by any international student enrolled at any of Harvard’s schools in the last five years. The DHS also asked for the full slate of disciplinary records of international students at Harvard for the last five years. It is unclear whether the Trump administration will restore Harvard’s SEVP certification if it submits the requested documents.”
“[E]ffective immediately, Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked. The revocation of your Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification means that Harvard is prohibited from having any aliens on F- or J- nonimmigrant status for the 2025-2026 academic school year. This decertification also means that existing aliens on F- or J- nonimmigrant status must transfer to another university in order to maintain their nonimmigrant status.”
“Current international students will need to transfer out of Harvard or risk losing their ability to remain in the United States lawfully if the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to revoke Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification remains in effect…Despite the sweeping nature of the directive, students that are set to graduate from Harvard during next week’s Commencement ceremony should be eligible to receive their degrees, according to eight immigration lawyers who spoke with The Crimson.
The revocation of Harvard’s SEVP status does not immediately invalidate student visas, according to Vijay. Instead, she said the agency is likely to give students some grace period to determine how they will respond before taking more drastic measures. “They did not say 15 days or 60 days or two days — nothing,” Vijay said. “When we get such clients, we tell them to ‘hurry up,’ and within 15 days at best, try to transfer.” Immigration attorney Dahlia M. French also said there will be a deadline for students to address their immigration status or transfer, though the DHS has not publicly announced one.
Students who transfer to a SEVP-certified university would be able to retain a valid I-20, and thus avoid losing their visas. But the transfer deadline for many schools falls in March, meaning students’ status in the U.S. would be in jeopardy while they wait for applications to open.”
“In an appeal for solidarity across institutions of higher education in this moment of existential threat to academic freedom and core First Amendment rights, we also call upon our fellow institutions of higher education in the United States to declare their willingness to facilitate the immediate co-enrollment of Harvard’s international students, including formal acceptance of transfer for immigration purposes.” [emphasis added]
““With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission,” Harvard said in its suit….”
“When Trump took office in January, 2.4 million people worked for the federal government, making it America’s largest employer. In four months, Trump and a chainsaw-wielding Elon Musk have hacked off chunks of government in the name of efficiency, with tactics rarely seen in public or private industry. The cuts so far represent roughly 6 percent of the federal workforce, but they have effectively wiped out entire departments and agencies, such as AmeriCorps and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was slashed 85 percent; the Education Department was cut in half.
Some have found themselves fired, rehired, then let go again. Many have been ridiculed as “lazy” and “corrupt.” They’ve been locked out of offices by police, fired for political “disloyalty,” and told to check their email to see if they still draw a paycheck.
In interviews, more than 30 former and current federal workers told The Washington Post that the chaos and mass firings had left them feeling devalued, demoralized and scared for themselves and the country. Many described problems they’d never experienced before: insomnia, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts. Others with a history of mental struggles said they’d found themselves pushed into terrifying territory.”
“In an unsigned two-page order, the court explained that the decision to put the lower courts’ orders on hold “reflects our judgment that the Government faces greater risk of harm from an order allowing a removed officer to continue exercising the executive power than a wrongfully removed officer faces from being unable to perform her statutory duty.” Justice Elena Kagan dissented from the court’s order, in an eight-page opinion joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Calling the order “nothing short of extraordinary,” Kagan would have turned down the Trump administration’s request. The dispute stems from Trump’s efforts to remove two federal officials, Gwynne Wilcox of the National Labor Relations Board and Cathy Harris of the Merits Systems Protection Board, earlier this year.”
“Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative sought this week to gain access to the congressional office which fields and manages complaints about discrimination, harassment, accessibility and other workplace issues, according to three congressional employees granted anonymity to describe the sensitive situation. The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights is the third legislative branch agency that the Trump administration has recently attempted to access.”
“The order issued late Thursday granted a preliminary injunction that pauses further reductions in force and “reorganization of the executive branch for the duration of the lawsuit.” The Trump administration on Friday morning appealed the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and is expected to ask that court to block the injunction from taking effect.”
“This injunction shall apply to the following defendant agencies: OMB, OPM, DOGE (USDS), USDA, Commerce, Energy, HHS, HUD, Interior, Labor, State, Treasury, Transportation, VA, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, EPA, GSA, NLRB, NSF, SBA, and SSA. Plaintiffs have presented evidence that these agencies are implementing, or preparing to soon implement, large-scale RIFs and reorganizations pursuant to the Executive Order and OMB/OPM Memo.”
“Former employees of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) have filed a class action appeal seeking reinstatement after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) carried out a Reduction in Force (RIF), impacting hundreds of employees around the country. The RIF, which the former employees allege was done without the required Congressional authorization, effectively shuttered several offices in an agency upon which the entire federal government and workforce rely.”
“Changes to the bill are expected in the Senate, but senators’ concerns have mainly centered around issues like reducing the deficit, adjusting cuts to Medicaid and green-energy tax credits, and shifting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program costs to the states. Therefore, it’s unclear if there are plans to remove any of the provisions affecting nonprofits since they are primarily designed to offset the tax cuts.”
“Tucked within the multitrillion-dollar legislation are dramatic changes to federal student aid: A complete overhaul of income-driven repayment plans, a new Repayment Assistance Plan, new caps on borrowing and more.”
Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
““Someone’s got to help me on that,” [Judge] Young added. “I’m not making policy statements. I’m asking for a definition of a policy that squares with what I had always understood were the defining elements of the American experience.”…he pressed Khetarpal for more clarity about the government’s approach to DEI initiatives, which the Trump administration is working to scrub from American education, government, social services, and the workplace.
“Does that mean our policy is homogeneity, inequity, and exclusion? I mean, are you going to stand there and tell me, that now is the policy of the National Institutes of Health?” Young asked.
…“Someone in this administration says DEI, there’s apparently something wrong with that. As neutrally as you can, what does that mean?” Young asked.” [emphasis added]
“Lawyers and advocates this week reported arrests of migrants outside of immigration courthouses across the U.S., saying teams of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers had detained individuals whose cases in front of immigration judges had just been terminated at the request of the government…”
“The Trump administration is moving to dismiss federal oversight agreements in Louisville and Minneapolis reached following the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor and police killing of George Floyd, and dropping investigations into several major US police departments…In court filings Wednesday morning, the Justice Department asked judges in Minnesota and Kentucky to dismiss the consent decrees reached with the police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville…The Civil Rights Division is also closing investigations into local police departments in Phoenix; Trenton, New Jersey; Memphis, Tennessee; Mount Vernon, New York; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the Louisiana State Police.”
“This month, the Illinois Senate will consider the Funded Advocacy & Independent Representation Act, a bill to create a statewide, independent public defense system. If passed, the legislation will create an Office of the State Public Defender and a State Public Defender Commission. Together, they would establish workload standards, support training and enhance resources for county public defense systems across the state.”
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
Hi Interested Public,
Welcome to the end of another week. Glad you’re still with us–and very glad to have had a chance to connect with some of you in person at the ABA/NLADA Conference in San Francisco this week! While we’ve been conferencing, the Trump Administration has been attempting (thus far without success) to install new employees at the Library of Congress and the Government Accountability Office. In Congress itself, the draft version of a new tax bill indicates a number of significant changes to the tax environment for universities and non-profits. CNN has obtained court documents indicating the government’s bold, aggressive strategy for convincing a court to grant them access to Columbia’s campus. And the National Center for Youth Law is hoping to take on some of the former efforts of the Department of Education.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Solidarity,
“in the aftermath of recent Trump administration efforts to upend the leadership at the Library of Congress, officials with the non-department Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reached out to another legislative support agency — the U.S. Government Accountability Office — wanting to “assign a team” to GAO. Per a staff announcement on Friday, GAO — which describes itself as “an independent, non-partisan agency that works for Congress” — said no[:]
‘As a legislative branch agency, GAO is not subject to Executive Orders and has therefore declined any requests to have a DOGE team assigned to GAO.’”
“President Trump on Monday named the No. 2 official at the Justice Department and his former personal lawyer to serve as the acting librarian of Congress…Staff members at the library balked and called the U.S. Capitol Police as well as their general counsel, Meg Williams, who told the two officials that they were not allowed access to the Copyright Office and asked them to leave…Mr. Perkins and Mr. Nieves then left the building willingly, accompanied to the door by Ms. Williams. The library’s staff is recognizing Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian who was Dr. Hayden’s No. 2, as the acting librarian until it gets direction from Congress, one of the people familiar with the situation said.”
“While the takeover has been framed as part of Trump’s broader purge of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content, it is the latest effort by the president and his team to subsume the role of Congress and ensure it cannot do its job. An expert on the Library of Congress tells Rolling Stone that Trump’s takeover attempt is “dangerous,” given that the Library’s sub-agencies provide confidential legal advice to members of Congress and help police misconduct by lawmakers. The expert says the Trump administration is actively trying to place a landing team at the Library of Congress, noting that when Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has done this elsewhere, the first thing that team does is hoover up and gain control over as much sensitive data as possible…Moreover, they note that the Congressional Research Service (CRS), an agency within the Library of Congress, “provides confidential advice to Congress, including confidential legal advice, and there is a database that has all the questions that every member has asked for the last 50 years and the answers. That cannot be made available.”” (emphasis added)
“Legacy Foundation has committed $600,000 to shore up slashed budgets for nonprofit organizations hit by state and federal budget cuts. Officials announced the new Lake County Resilience Grant program Thursday in Merrillville with several nonprofit leaders sharing the impact of the government funding cuts to their organizations.”
“Increase in Excise Tax on Investment Income of Private Colleges and Universities (Endowment Tax)…
Increase in Excise Tax on Private Foundation Investment Income…Expanded Scope of "Excess Compensation Tax" for Nonprofits…
Suspension of Tax-Exempt Status for Terrorist Supporting Organizations…This provision adopts language from prior proposed legislation, H.R. 9495 (dubbed by some as the "Nonprofit Killer Bill"), with some adjustments. It modifies IRC § 501(p) to grant authority to the Secretary of the Treasury to suspend the tax-exempt status of any organization designated as a "terrorist supporting organization." An organization may be designated a terrorist support organization if the Treasury Secretary determines that within the prior three years the organization provided more than a de minimis amount of material support or resources to a designated terrorist organization.”
“Last year, I warned that this legislation could be used by an administration interested in going after civil society by manipulating the language of national security…This year, we do not need to imagine attacks on NGOs generally and their tax-exempt status specifically as a scary hypothetical. It’s currently happening without this legislation…And lest one, for some reason, soothe oneself by saying that this will only (“only”) impact those engaged on issues related to Israel, Palestine, and antisemitism, the NGO sector itself knows that this is not true: Last month, there were reports that Trump was considering signing an executive order that would strip the tax-exempt status of environmental groups.”
“Court documents, including a newly unsealed search warrant affidavit, reveal authorities went further than previously known in their effort to target the students and the university…The affidavit shows that government officers asked Columbia to allow them into Chung’s university housing but were denied. At the time, Columbia would not permit access without a warrant signed by a judge…The federal agent who wrote the affidavit said he was not aware whether Chung had left her college apartment and that finding her there could be evidence of Columbia “harboring an alien.”
…“Columbia University has refused, and continues to refuse, to permit immigration officers to locate and arrest Ranjani Srinivasan and Yunseo Chung at their student housing and were and are thus concealing, harboring, or shielding from detection removable aliens, Ranjani Srinivasan and Yunseo Chung, or are conspiring to do so.”
Nathan Yaffe, Srinivasan’s former lawyer and part of the team representing Chung, said this made “no sense.”
“It’s incoherent to go to a judge and say, ‘On March 8, we terminated this person’s student status and within 72 hours that person had left the United States (but) we’re going to pursue harboring charges against the institution where she used to reside,” he told CNN. “That one is totally bizarre.”
The search warrants were authorized by a District Court Judge on March 13.”
“according to an internal memo, the agency will be deprioritizing the regulation of certain industries, including student loans and digital payments. While the memo notes that the CFPB is shifting away from supervision and enforcement of areas that can be handled by states, reduced federal support could make state regulatory enforcement more difficult.”
“[A] coalition of 40 attorneys general [sent] a letter to Congressional leaders opposing a proposed 10-year ban on states enforcing any state law or regulation addressing artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision-making systems. The ban was included in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s changes to the budget reconciliation bill.”
Sam Halpert, NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives
Photo: Harris and Ewing Collection, Library of Congress
Hi Interested Public,
Welcome to the end of another week. Glad you’re still with us. This week, the Trump Administration summarily fired the Librarian of Congress while former DOJ attorneys launched a new DC firm to contest the Administration’s ongoing reductions in force across the federal civil service. The specific effects of last week’s widespread grant terminations across DOJ’s grant portfolio are starting to come into focus. The Department of Education announced that people with student loans in default would be notified of their options soon and could lose federal benefits or see their wages garnished beginning this summer; the Department also sent a letter to Harvard University announcing that “Harvard should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government since none will be provided.” In Louisville Kentucky, Black students from across the city were honored in an “Ascension Citywide Black Graduation Ceremony” unaffiliated with any of the local universities that had conferred on them their degrees.
As always, these stories and more are in the links below.
Solidarity,
“I enjoy my job and do not want to leave — but the administration’s hostility towards federal workers is seemingly increasing, and I know there is a decent likelihood I will have to begin a job search soon. I used to have a 5- and 10-year career plan, and now I’m not even sure what things will look like in five months.”
“Two former U. S. Department of Justice attorneys who recently left their government positions have launched a Washington D.C. -based firm they say will fight the Trump administration’s efforts to ‘dismantle the federal workforce.’ ”
“Hayden was formally notified of her termination in an email from the White House’s presidential personnel department just before 7 p.m. Thursday, according to a copy of the email reviewed by CQ Roll Call…The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with buildings located on the Capitol campus. While it is a legislative branch agency, the president has statutory authority to appoint the head of the Library of Congress, with Senate confirmation.” [emphasis added]
“Amy Solomon, former assistant attorney general who oversaw the Office of Justice Programs and now a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, said the cuts touched on every aspect of the department’s portfolio.”
“Among programs cut as the Trump administration slashed funding to AmeriCorps was Illinois JusticeCorps, a program that embedded volunteers in courthouses around the state to provide assistance and guidance through a variety of legal processes. One such volunteer is Jack Popovich, who is set to attend law school this fall but first planned to spend a year with JusticeCorps, operating the self-help desk at the Champaign County Courthouse.”
“Trump’s proposal calls for a $980 million reduction in funding for the program, which was appropriated $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2024. In his budget plan, the president called for Federal Work-Study to be run by the states and the colleges “that financially benefit from it.” “Reform of this poorly targeted program should redistribute remaining funding to institutions that serve the most low-income students and provide a wage subsidy to gain career-oriented opportunities to improve long-term employment outcomes of students,” it says.”
“In a three-page letter sent to Harvard University on Monday evening, the Department of Education said federal agencies will no longer provide the wealthy institution with any grant funding, alleging that Harvard has engaged in a “systemic pattern of violating federal law” and calling it a “mockery of this country’s higher education system.”…Some conservative policy experts see Monday’s move as an aggressive step to break Harvard’s silo from accountability…But Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, described Monday’s letter as a “particularly disturbing” and “unwarranted escalation of threats.””
“The U.S. Department of Education announced on Monday, May 5 that by the end of summer, 5.3 million defaulted student loan borrowers will receive a 30-day notice from the U.S. Department of Treasury, notifying them that they could lose federal benefits. About 195,000 defaulted student loan borrowers received this notice on Monday, and the first federal monthly benefit checks to be impacted are those scheduled for early June, a statement reads.”
“the Department will soon notify defaulted borrowers, requiring them to make payments, enroll in an income-driven repayment plan, or seek loan rehabilitation. The government plans to initiate collections this summer through tax refund offsets, federal pension garnishments, and wage garnishments if payments are not made. To ease the transition, the Department of Education is enhancing borrower support with extended call center hours, a new AI assistant, and an updated loan simulator.” [various emphasis removed]
“This means that, for students entering college or graduate school for the first time, the financial aid landscape could be grim. The Republican plan puts new limits on how much students in high-cost areas or in high-cost programs can borrow for tuition, books, room and board, even as moderate-income students will no longer be eligible for federal grants. Borrowing for graduate and professional school could be capped in a way that would make it much more difficult for lower-income students to pursue careers in medicine and law.” [emphasis added]
Conflicts Over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
“for every employee, student, faculty member, or administrator who formerly occupied a position with any DEI responsibilities, ‘mandate,’ duties, or title whatsoever, identify whether that individual’s position and title have been eliminated, whether the individual is still associated with the University in any official or unofficial, paid or unpaid capacity and, if so, the name and nature of that individual’s current title or position.”
“Gov. Patrick Morrisey praised the passage of bills codifying his executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in state government and education programs; and a bill closing remaining loopholes that allowed for medication gender-affirming care.”
“Roughly 20 Black students from Louisville universities walked the stage at St. Stephen Baptist Church May 8 for the inaugural "Ascension Citywide Black Graduation Ceremony," hosted in resistance to recent state and federal crackdowns on anti-diversity, equity and inclusion practices in higher education. The event — unaffiliated with any local universities — welcomed students from the University of Louisville, Bellarmine University, Spalding University and Simmons College of Kentucky, who had their names called over a microphone and received certificates and roses to mark the occasion.”
“As Delaware implements its new right to representation law for tenants facing eviction, Wilmington City Council heard from legal aid leaders on Wednesday, who outlined progress made under the law and requested city support for a $786,000 settlement assistance fund to prevent further displacement.”
“For the first time in more than a decade, the San Francisco public defender’s office is so overloaded with cases that it has closed up shop. The office will decline new clients on one business day each week.”
Get a weekly summary of news items that affect the public service legal community, with an emphasis on funding, job market, law school initiatives, and access-to-justice developments.
