The Trump administration issued subpoenas to law firms on July 14, demanding documents and depositions from the firms that had negotiated deals with the White House to provide pro bono legal services, according to The New York Times. The move marks an escalation in the administration’s pressure campaign against major law firms, targeting both those that agreed to deals and those that resisted.
Nine law firms had collectively pledged approximately $940 million in pro bono work to causes supported by the Trump administration in deals brokered primarily by Boris Epshteyn, the president’s personal lawyer, according to Law.com. The firms did not admit wrongdoing but agreed to provide the services to avoid punitive executive orders.
The Justice Department is demanding that leaders of these firms sit for depositions and produce documents related to their agreements with the administration, The New York Times reported. The subpoenas appear designed to examine the terms and scope of the deals Epshteyn negotiated.
Background: Executive Orders and Court Rulings
The subpoenas follow a months-long battle over Trump’s executive orders targeting specific law firms. Beginning in March 2025, Trump signed a series of orders aimed at firms like Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner & Block, and Susman Godfrey—firms that had represented clients or employed attorneys whom the administration viewed as political adversaries, according to the Free Speech Center. The orders sought to revoke security clearances for firm employees, suspend government contracts, and restrict access to federal buildings.
Federal judges uniformly rejected Trump’s executive orders as unconstitutional. In May 2025, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that Trump’s order targeting Perkins Coie “violates the Constitution and is thus null and void,” according to Demand Justice. Judge AliKhan similarly found that the order against Susman Godfrey “is unconstitutional from beginning to end,” NPR reported in June 2025.
Facing repeated legal defeats, the Justice Department abandoned its appeals in March 2026, according to NPR. However, the administration’s pressure campaign did not cease. Instead, nine law firms negotiated settlements with the White House in early 2025, committing to provide substantial pro bono services in exchange for the administration backing away from further executive orders, according to Law.com.
The new subpoenas suggest the administration is now investigating the terms and circumstances of those deals themselves. The move represents a shift in tactics: rather than pursuing executive orders that courts have blocked, the administration is using investigative subpoenas to examine the agreements it previously brokered.
Sources
- The New York Times — reported the July 14, 2026 subpoenas issued to nine law firms and the DOJ’s demand for depositions from firm leaders
- Law.com — documented Boris Epshteyn’s role in brokering the deals and the $940 million in pro bono commitments
- Demand Justice — cited Judge Beryl Howell’s May 2025 ruling on the Perkins Coie executive order
- NPR — reported Judge AliKhan’s June 2025 ruling on Susman Godfrey and the DOJ’s March 2026 decision to abandon appeals
- The Free Speech Center — provided background on the executive orders and targeted firms
