Law Firms Avoid Election Litigation After Trump Administration Deals
Major U.S. law firms are avoiding voting rights litigation after striking deals with the Trump administration to avoid executive orders in exchange for pro bono work.
Several top U.S. law firms are avoiding legal efforts to prevent interference in the upcoming midterm elections after striking deals with the Donald Trump administration. Nine firms, including Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, pledged nearly a billion dollars in free legal work for causes championed by the president to avoid crippling executive orders.
This arrangement has created a chilling effect across the legal industry. Firms that cut deals, as well as some that did not, have declined to partner with civil rights organizations like the Advancement Project on voting rights litigation. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison specifically removed dozens of pages related to voting rights from its website following a March 2025 agreement with the administration.
Democracy advocates, including Norm Eisen of the Democracy Defenders Fund, have expressed concern over the loss of high-profile legal resources. However, they maintain that a network of nonprofits and a small number of remaining firms, such as WilmerHale, provide sufficient resources to challenge the administration's actions in court.
