"This sort of direct contradiction of the firms' earlier representations seemed to bound to rub lawmakers the wrong way. But a retired practitioner reached out to us the next day to flag Section 1342 of Title 31, known as the Antideficiency Act, which bars the government from accepting volunteer services outside of situations "emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property.""
"The top Democrats said in the letters to the firms that "as you are certainly aware, providing legal services to the Commerce Department without compensation may violate the law." The letters cited the Antideficiency Act, which "prohibits the government from accepting voluntary services and has limited exceptions in order to ensure the government is not on the hook for financial obligations Congress has not explicitly appropriated.""
Major law firms pledged large amounts of pro bono legal services after an executive order threatened their business interests. Firms claimed the services would fund vague charitable causes while some firms simultaneously provided free legal work directly to the Commerce Department. Section 1342 of Title 31, the Antideficiency Act, bars the government from accepting volunteer services except in emergencies involving safety of life or property. Negotiating trade deals does not meet the Act's emergency exception. Congressional Democrats sent letters warning that providing legal services to the Commerce Department without compensation may violate the law.
Read at Above the Law
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