Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice will no longer be able to attend, speak at or participate in events the American Bar Association hosts, according to a memo released Wednesday from Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Despite their longstanding relationship, the lawsuit the ABA filed in February against the department in Global Health Council v. Trump in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia creates a conflict of interest, Blanche wrote. The memo stressed the importance of administering justice in a “fair, effective and even-handed manner” as the overarching purpose for the department’s decision.