Trump Admin Seeks Communications And Records From Major Law Firms In ABA Lawsuit
The federal government intends to subpoena 14 major law firms and their top leadership for internal records and depositions as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by the American Bar Association.
According to a legal notice filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 17, 2026, attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division stated their intention to serve subpoenas commanding both document production and testimony.
The filing was in relation to the case of American Bar Association v. Executive Office of the President.
The targeted firms include high-profile national operations such as Perkins Coie, Paul Weiss, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, Susman Godfrey, Covington & Burling, Skadden Arps, Willkie Farr, Milbank, Kirkland & Ellis, Allen Overy Shearman Sterling, Simpson Thacher, Latham & Watkins, and Cadwalader.
The notice targets managing partners, co-managing partners, chairs, or co-chairs at each entity, including specific individuals like Brad Karp of Paul Weiss, Kalpana Srinivasan of Susman Godfrey, and Jon Ballis of Kirkland & Ellis.
Court documents indicate the government is seeking all communications and records dating from January 20, 2025, to the present involving Boris Epshteyn. The requests cover messages sent to, received from, or participated in with Epshteyn by the law firms or the American Bar Association.
The subpoenas also demand records concerning several specific executive orders issued by President Donald J. Trump in early 2025. These orders, referenced as “Law Firm Executive Orders,” targeted several of the firms directly, including Executive Order 14230 regarding Perkins Coie, Executive Order 14327 regarding Paul Weiss, Executive Order 14246 regarding Jenner & Block, Executive Order 14250 regarding WilmerHale, and Executive Order 14263 regarding Susman Godfrey.
Additionally, the Department of Justice is seeking information regarding any final written or oral agreements between the Trump administration and a subset of the firms.
According to the definitions provided in the filing, these agreements involve situations where a firm made an “admission representation, promise, or commitment to avoid the possibility that either the Trump Administration would issue an executive order against the firm or that the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would open an investigation into whether the firm’s employment practices violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
The document requests specify that firms must preserve and produce all relevant electronically stored information, metadata, database load files, and paper records. Social media posts and direct messages discussing the executive orders or agreements are also included in the government’s demands.
The notice was dated July 2, 2026, and submitted by Trial Attorneys James J. Wen, M. Jared Littman, and Adam S. Fox of the Justice Department’s Federal Programs Branch, alongside Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate and Branch Director Alexander K. Haas.