The Daily Fuckup

The White House pulled back its order against Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP on March 21, 2025, after the firm agreed to a package of concessions that included about $40 million in pro bono legal services, a broader pro bono commitment, and changes to its hiring and promotion practices so diversity, equity and inclusion considerations would not guide those decisions. The rescission followed the deal, but it did not end the administration’s larger campaign against major law firms. ([whitehouse.gov](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/addressing-risks-from-paul-weiss/))

On the same day, the White House issued a memorandum titled "Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Courts" and a related fact sheet. The memo directed the attorney general to seek sanctions against lawyers and firms involved in frivolous, unreasonable, or vexatious litigation against the United States, to prioritize enforcement of attorney-discipline rules, and to consider additional consequences such as security-clearance reviews or federal contract changes. The fact sheet said the directive also applied to the secretary of homeland security. ([govinfo.gov](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-202500387/pdf/DCPD-202500387.pdf))

Taken together, the two actions showed the administration using federal access, contracts, and professional credentials as leverage over the legal industry while insisting it was policing misconduct. The Paul Weiss order came down after the firm made its deal; the broader memorandum stayed in place and cast a wider net over lawyers and law firms the White House says are abusing the courts. ([whitehouse.gov](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/addressing-risks-from-paul-weiss/))