Latest news with #sanctuaryjurisdictions
Reuters
5 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Law firm Milbank cuts Katyal's $3,250 rate in defending NJ cities against Trump
July 25 (Reuters) - Prominent lawyer Neal Katyal of law firm Milbank will charge a sharply reduced hourly rate and not his standard $3,250 as he helps to defend two New Jersey cities sued by President Donald Trump's administration over their immigration policies, according to a contract obtained by Reuters. Milbank's lawyers, including Katyal, will each charge $300 an hour — a fee that will be split evenly by the cities of Newark and Hoboken for the litigation in federal court in New Jersey, the contract showed. The Trump administration in May sued Newark, Hoboken and two other New Jersey cities, accusing them of being so-called sanctuary jurisdictions and obstructing federal immigration agents. Katyal in the July 11 contract said he normally charges $3,250 an hour, and that some other partners at his 1,000-lawyer firm bill hourly between $1,865 and $2,475. New York-headquartered Milbank is one of nine firms that reached deals with Trump in March and April, after he began issuing executive orders against law firms that restricted their access to government officials and federal contracting work. Milbank, which had not been hit with an order, in its deal said it earmarked $100 million in free legal services for mutually agreed-upon initiatives with the White House. Four other law firms successfully sued to block Trump's orders against them. Here, Milbank in defending the two cities said it agreed to reduce its standard rates because a third-party — the nonprofit Goodnation Foundation — is picking up part of the legal tab. Hoboken said it will not pay more than $53,000 in any calendar year to Milbank. The document did not show how much Goodnation Foundation is expected to pay, and the organization, Milbank and Katyal did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Newark official had no immediate comment, and Hoboken did not immediately respond to a request for one. Large law firms commonly reduce their hourly rates, or sometimes bill at no cost, for legal work for state and local government clients. As hourly rates have steadily increased across the profession, at least two other law firms, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Susman Godfrey, also have hit the $3,000 an hour milestone. A January report by the Thomson Reuters Institute and the Georgetown Law Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession said clients have been willing to accept 'dramatic increases' in rates. The institute and Reuters share the same parent company. Katyal, a former acting U.S. solicitor general during President Barack Obama's administration, in 2022 was billing at $2,465 an hour when he was at law firm Hogan Lovells. He joined Milbank in February, and now leads the firm's appellate team. He has argued more than 50 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Milbank's team defending Newark and Hoboken also includes Gurbir Grewal, who is a former New Jersey attorney general and enforcement head at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and appellate specialist Colleen Roh Sinzdak. Read more: US judge slashes fees for IBM lawyers in billion-dollar software contract fight Lawyers in banking cases take a loss despite $35 million fee award US judge rejects lawyers' $94 million fee bid in auto parts pricing case Lawyers defend $205 million legal fee in US auto class action settlement More lawyers join the $3,000-an-hour club, as other firms close in
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Law firm Milbank defends NJ cities in Trump immigration lawsuit
July 15 (Reuters) - U.S. law firm Milbank has signed on to defend two New Jersey cities that were sued by President Donald Trump's administration over their immigration policies, putting the firm at odds with the White House after it struck a deal in April to avert the president's crackdown on prominent firms. A team of Milbank lawyers is representing Newark and Hoboken in the case in federal court, new court papers showed this week. They include former Obama-era acting U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal and Gurbir Grewal, a former New Jersey attorney general and enforcement head at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Trump administration in May sued Newark, Hoboken and other New Jersey cities, accusing them of being so-called sanctuary jurisdictions and obstructing federal immigration agents. The lawsuit, filed in Newark, was part of the White House's broader hardline campaign against immigration. Milbank, Katyal, Grewal and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. New York-headquartered Milbank is one of nine firms that reached deals with Trump in March and April, after he began issuing executive orders against law firms that restricted their access to government officials and federal contracting work. Four other law firms successfully sued to block Trump's orders against them. Trump in his orders alleged major firms had "weaponized" the legal system through politicized cases and hires, and accused them of illegal employment practices focused on racial diversity. To rescind or head off such orders, the settling firms pledged nearly $1 billion in free legal services to mutually agreed-upon initiatives with the White House, among other concessions. Milbank, which had not been hit with an executive order, said it earmarked $100 million. Milbank Chairman Scott Edelman in a letter to the firm in April said the administration had approached it with concerns about its pro bono and diversity initiatives, suggesting it make a deal. The New Jersey case is one of at least three in which Milbank now represents Trump's legal opponents. Katyal represents a former federal official suing over what she said was her wrongful termination from a board overseeing employment complaints by government workers. He is also representing a group of five small businesses that sued to challenge Trump's across-the-board taxes on imports from nations that sell more to the United States than they buy. The administration has appealed a ruling the plaintiffs won in May. Milbank hired Grewal last year from the SEC, where he had led enforcement efforts since 2021. Katyal joined the firm in February from rival law firm Hogan Lovells, and now leads Milbank's appellate team. He has argued more than 50 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case is United States v. City of Newark et al, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, No. 2:25-cv-05081-EP-AME. Read more: Small businesses sign up prominent appellate attorney Neal Katyal in tariff case From Harvard to Musk, law firm Quinn Emanuel juggles Trump's friends and foes Law firms hire former Tesla lawyer and top conservative litigator for Trump fight Obama's top Supreme Court lawyer files lawsuit over Trump funding freeze
The Independent
02-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
ICE chief defends agents' use of masks, decries sanctuary jurisdictions
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons on Monday defended the use of masks by his agents and expressed frustration at sanctuary jurisdictions that he said are hindering the detainment of immigrants who are in the country illegally. Lyons said his agents wear masks because they and their families have been doxxed and 'targeted" with death threats. 'I'm sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I'm not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don't like what immigration enforcement is,' he said. Lyons made the comments during a press conference at the Boston federal courthouse to announce the completion of a May operation in which nearly 1,500 immigrants were taken into custody across Massachusetts. He was leaving the room when a reporter asked him about the masks. He turned around and returned to the podium to answer it. 'Is that the issue here that we're just upset about the masks?" he asked the room of journalists. "Or is anyone upset about the fact that ICE officers' families were labeled terrorists?' As part of last month's operation, authorities in Massachusetts detained 1,461 immigrants living in Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, Lawrence, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and other communities. ICE said 790 of those immigrants had criminal histories, including the crime of reentering the U.S. after deportation, and that 277 had previously been ordered to be removed from the country by a federal immigration judge. Lyons, who is from Boston, said these operations wouldn't be necessary if 'sanctuary cities would change their policy.' There's no legal definition for sanctuary city policies, but they generally limit cooperation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers. Courts have repeatedly upheld the legality of sanctuary laws. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security published a widely anticipated list of ' sanctuary jurisdictions " on its website, only to receive widespread criticism for including localities that have actively supported the Trump administration's hard-line immigration policies. As of Monday, there was a 'Page Not Found' error message in its place. During a March congressional hearing, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and other Democratic mayors defended sanctuary city policies. Brandon Johnson of Chicago said 'mischaracterizations and fearmongering' were obscuring the fact that crime in Chicago is trending down. 'This federal administration is making hard-working, taxpaying, God-fearing residents afraid to live their lives," Wu said. During Monday's press conference, a poster board with mug shots of unnamed immigrants was displayed. A full list of those arrested was not made available, nor was information about the crimes specific individuals are accused of committing. Lyons called them 'dangerous criminals' who are "terrorizing family, friends and our neighbors." White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the key driver of immigration policy in the Trump administration, has said that the administration is setting a goal of 3,000 arrests by ICE each day and that the number could go higher. Lyons said during an interview with Fox & Friends on Sunday that the agency was averaging about 1,600 arrests per day. He said they can and will do more. That marks an increase from previous ICE arrest data that showed that the agency arrested 78,155 people between Jan. 20 and May 19 — an average of 656 arrests per day. Lyons heads an agency at the center of Trump's mass deportations agenda. Just last week, the agency underwent its second major reorganization since Trump took office, as the head of the Enforcement and Removal Operations section of ICE retired and the head of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations section transitioned to another role. ___
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
List naming 'sanctuary' jurisdictions, including 20 from Minnesota, removed from DHS site
List naming 'sanctuary' jurisdictions, including 20 from Minnesota, removed from DHS site originally appeared on Bring Me The News. The list identifying scores of so-called "lawless jurisdictions" that are allegedly not complying with Trump administration immigration orders has been removed from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website. The list was issued earlier this week, naming jurisdictions across the country that the Trump administration claims are "deliberately instructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws." While the press release featuring a comment DHS Secretary Kristi Noem remains live, the list that was linked to it now shows an error. Bring Me The News has reached out to DHS for an explanation. It comes after a number of local governments found themselves taken aback at being included on the list that described them as "lawless jurisdictions" that are "endangering American citizens" for allegedly not fully cooperating with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Trump administration mass deportations program. Some cities, such as Minneapolis and St. Paul, have defined policies stating that local police will not be involved in the enforcement of federal immigration law and prohibits officers from questioning any person about their immigration status. But other counties that have not taken steps to promote such policies have found themselves included on the DHS list and confused by the lack of detail and vague assertions in the DHS statement as to why. Among those included in Minnesota is Stearns County, which has never made any move to declare itself a "sanctuary" location for undocumented immigrants, with Sheriff Steve Soyka admitting they were "surprised" to see it on the list. "Stearns County has maintained a clear and consistent approach to working and communicating with ICE and following federal requirements," Soyka said. "What we currently do in our jail is what we have done for the past 20 years with no issues. We have always notified ICE when required. "We have not received any complaints or heard of any issues from local ICE officials – in fact, during their last visit, they complimented our staff on how we handle these matters." The Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall affirmed to the Star Tribune that the county complies with ICE, but doesn't hold people for them if they are in jail on county charges. The newspaper notes that as immigration offenses are a civil issue, some local law enforcement agencies "remain reluctant to honor ICE detainer requests" as some have found themselves sued for civil rights infractions when they detain individuals for longer than legally allowed. "Our responsibility is to enforce the law and support public safety," Soyka added on Friday. "If DHS has identified a concern, we are open to reviewing it — but as of now, we have no indication of noncompliance, and we stand by our current practices.' The backlash to the DHS list spanned the whole U.S., with the Associated Press reporting that the list was "riddled with misspellings" and "included sparsely populated counties that have little interaction with immigration authorities, that overwhelmingly voted for President Donald Trump and that have actively supported his hard-line immigration policies." Less surprised at being named on the initial list was the City of Minneapolis, which reaffirmed its longstanding arms-length policy towards immigration enforcement following President Donald Trump's return to office in January. "Minneapolis is a city that fosters inclusivity, safety, and belonging. That's something worth standing up for," the city said this week. "The law is on our side. Two U.S. District Courts have already blocked the Trump administration from freezing funding to Minneapolis on this unlawful basis. We'll proudly be on any list that reflects our values and commitment to the people who call Minneapolis home. We will always stand with – and fight for – our neighbors." Here are the jurisdictions in Minnesota that were originally included in the now-removed list: Self-Identification as a State Sanctuary Jurisdiction Anoka County Carver County Cottonwood County Goodhue County Hennepin County Le Sueur County Lincoln County Lyon County Martin County Nicollet County Nobles County Otter Tail County Pipestone County Ramsey County Scott County Stearns County Steele County Todd County Watonwan County Wright County Minneapolis St. Paul This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Huntington Beach to Trump admin: 'We are not a sanctuary city'
The Brief The Trump administration published a list of 500+ "sanctuary jurisdictions" they say are obstructing immigration enforcement. Huntington Beach was included on the list. In January, Huntington Beach actually declared itself a "non-sanctuary city." HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - The city of Huntington Beach is speaking out after the Trump administration put the city on a list of more than 500 "sanctuary jurisdictions," which the administration says is obstructing federal immigration enforcement. There's just one issue. The city legally declared that they were the exact opposite earlier this year. RELATED: Trump administration applies pressure on 'sanctuary jurisdictions' with public listing The backstory The Department of Homeland Security published a list of more than 500 communities on Friday that they say are not complying with federal immigration enforcement. DHS said that it used several things to come up with their list, including whether the community self-identifies as a sanctuary, whether they offer protection to undocumented immigrants and more. This is all a response to an executive order President Donald Trump signed in April. Every jurisdiction on the list will get a notice from DHS and the Department of Justice. According to the executive order, jurisdictions that don't start complying with immigration enforcement could lose out on federal grants and contracts. Included on the list is the state of California as a whole, all but 10 of the state's 58 counties, and more than 60 cities in California. Among those listed is Huntington Beach in Orange County. SEE THE FULL LIST HERE What we know But, back in January, the Huntington Beach City Council voted unanimously to declare themselves a "non-sanctuary city." The move was a response to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's plans to "Trump-proof" the state shortly before Trump took office. RELATED: Gov. Newsom says he's going to 'Trump proof' California state laws Needless to say, city officials are confused as to why they were put on DHS' list on Friday. What they're saying "We adopted a formal policy on this. It went before the council, and we unanimously agreed that Huntington Beach is not a sanctuary city," Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns said in a press release on Friday. "We took deliberate action to make our non-sanctuary status clear." Burns said the city's inclusion on the list is either a misprint or a mistake. And Huntington Beach isn't the only one. "We're hearing there are other local governments that are also misidentified, including Baltimore, Maryland; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Shasta County, California — all of which have either declared themselves non-sanctuary jurisdictions or follow non-sanctuary policies," Burns said. What's next Burns said he has reached out to contacts in the federal government to get Huntington Beach taken off the list. Federal officials said the list would be updated regularly. The Source Information in this story is from the Department of Homeland Security's list of "sanctuary jurisdictions," a press release from the City of Huntington Beach, and previous FOX 11 reports.
