Former DOJ Lawyers Launch Nonprofit Against Trump Administration

Several nonprofit groups and former Justice Department lawyers are actively opposing actions by the Trump administration through legal challenges and support. The Washington Litigation Group, founded by former DOJ lawyers including Nathaniel Zelinsky and James Pearce, provides free legal representation to targets of criminal and congressional investigations related to Trump and pursues litigation against his executive orders. Separately, a coalition including the ACLU and parent groups has sued the Trump administration over alleged unlawful delays and funding cuts to the Head Start program, which supports low-income children’s early education, resulting in preschool closures nationwide. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice lawyers have faced misconduct complaints filed by the Legal Accountability Center, a nonprofit funded largely by Pierre Omidyar’s Democracy Fund, accusing them of misleading courts regarding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s operations amid administration cutbacks. These complaints have been criticized as attempts to intimidate government lawyers defending the administration, reflecting broader tensions between legal advocates and Trump’s political opponents. Collectively, these developments illustrate an ongoing legal struggle involving the Trump administration, nonprofit advocacy groups, and government lawyers over policy enforcement and accountability.