Elias Law Group Partners Stand Up for the Legal Profession and the Rule of Law
WASHINGTON - As President Trump continues to attack the legal profession and the rule of law, all 17 partners at Elias Law Group have signed an open letter calling on the Attorney General to oppose attacks on the legal profession.
“Attacking legal advocates based on the positions they take in good faith litigation or based on who their clients are or have been is inconsistent with our nation’s values and with the Constitution’s contemplation of the functioning of the judicial branch,” the letter reads.
The letter, which is coordinated by Democracy Forward, has already been signed by over 2,200 individuals and organizations in the legal community.
Following is the full text of the open letter:
Dear Attorney General Bondi:
We are members of the legal profession and entities that provide legal representation and work in law. We do not agree on all matters and, in fact, at times have been or are adverse to each other in court or other professional settings. Despite our differences, we all share a commitment to the United States Constitution, the rule of law, and the role of the legal system in protecting the rights of all people and ensuring all of us can have our day in court. This commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law requires that lawyers be able to operate with independence, without fear of retaliation for bringing lawsuits in good faith, and without attempts to deter recourse to the legal system.
We write to you, as the nation’s highest ranking legal official, out of deep concern regarding a number of actions that the President of the United States and his administration have taken and a number of statements targeting lawyers and the legal profession.
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- On February 25, 2025, the President issued a memo titled “Suspension of Security Clearances and Evaluation of Government Contracts” targeting Covington & Burling LLP.
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- On March 6, 2025, the President issued a memo titled “Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP.”
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- On March 11, 2025, the President issued a memo titled “Ensuring the Enforcement of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c),” aiming to make it harder for organizations, communities, and individuals to enforce their rights.
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- On March 14, 2025, at the Department of Justice, the President called his courtroom opponents “scum,” judges “corrupt,” and prosecutors “deranged.”
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- On March 14, 2025, the President issued a memo titled “Addressing Risks from Paul Weiss.”
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- On March 22, 2025, the President issued a memo titled “Rescinding Security Clearances and Access to Classified Information from Specified Individuals.”
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- On March 22, 2025, the President sent a memo to Attorney General Pam Bondi titled “Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court.”
It is your responsibility, as the lawyer ultimately entrusted with the representation of the United States in legal matters, to oppose attacks on the legal profession, on judges, and on the rule of law and to ensure that the Department of Justice uses its full power to protect the legal profession and equal justice under law for all people.
Attacking legal advocates based on the positions they take in good faith litigation or based on who their clients are or have been is inconsistent with our nation’s values and with the Constitution’s contemplation of the functioning of the judicial branch. Indeed before the founding of the United States, John Adams, an ardent supporter of American independence and someone who opposed King George III, famously represented the British crown’s own soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre—driven by an unwavering commitment to fair process and equal justice.
During your confirmation hearings earlier this year before the United States Senate, you pledged to ensure that there was “confidence and integrity” in the United States Department of Justice and stated that you opposed the “partisan weaponization” of the Department. It is incumbent on you to use all of the tools available to you to preserve and protect the independence and integrity of the legal profession, including opposing the use of the federal government to attack lawyers, law firms, and legal organizations for engaging in good faith representation of their clients.
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