Ex-DOJ leader, WilmerHale partner takes on Trump cases in new nonprofit role

By Mike Scarcella

WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - A former top U.S. Justice Department lawyer and longtime partner at law firm WilmerHale is ramping up litigation against President Donald Trump in his new role at Democracy Defenders Fund, part of a network of nonprofit advocacy groups pursuing major cases against the administration.

David Ogden, who served in the DOJ under President Barack Obama before returning to WilmerHale, appeared in court papers this week representing Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio in her lawsuit challenging Trump's sweeping overhaul of the Kennedy Center performing arts building.

Ogden earlier in the month stepped in to help represent Liz Oyer, the Justice Department's pardon attorney who was fired by Trump in March.

"I really felt that this is a moment in our history when if somebody can devote their energy to defending democracy in a time of great stress, they should," Ogden told Reuters, describing his departure from one of Washington's powerhouse firms.

He retired from WilmerHale in December after more than 20 years over two spans at the firm, where he helped build its government and regulatory practice. He joined Democracy Defenders Fund in February as a senior counsel.

Ogden served as deputy U.S. attorney general under Obama in 2009, the Justice Department's second-ranking position. He had previously held other leadership roles at the department.

The Trump administration has faced hundreds of lawsuits spearheaded by Democracy Defenders Fund and other nonprofit groups, including Democracy Forward and civil liberties organizations, over immigration, civil rights, education and other areas.

The mounting cases have spurred recruitment efforts by firms and legal advocacy groups aligned against Trump's Republican administration.

Retired Ambassador Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, praised Ogden and said he was joining a 50-deep bench of lawyers, communications strategists and other professionals at the nonprofit created in 2024.

At WilmerHale, Ogden was on the internal team defending the firm against a Trump administration executive order that sought to punish the firm over its hiring of the late Robert Mueller III.

Four judges struck down Trump's orders targeting law firms, including the one focused on WilmerHale, though the White House has appealed.

Ogden's move reunites him with Stephen Jonas, a former WilmerHale partner now serving as chief counsel for Democracy Defenders Fund's rapid response legal team.

Eisen's group has partnered in some cases with large law firms, including Gibson Dunn and Munger Tolles.

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