TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Oct 30, 2025

Columbia University's Knight First Amendment Institute has sued the U.S. government to obtain records about deals President Donald Trump made with nine large U.S. law firms earlier this year. According to Reuters, the institute says the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Justice Department have denied "or constructively denied" its requests under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for records of the agreements and any communication the firms have had with the government. The FOIA request covers communications with A&O Shearman, Cadwalader, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Milbank, Paul Weiss, Simpson Thacher, Skadden Arps and Willkie Farr. The institute is a nonprofit affiliated with Columbia University that defends press freedoms and free speech.