Trump's war on lawyers and judges draws rebuke from dozens of advocacy groups

What they're saying: The organizations called on Congress to reject legislation that would undercut the judiciary's integrity and urges lawyers and judges to speak in defense of the legal system.

• "As organizations representing millions of Americans, we are profoundly concerned by these sweeping proposals and the actions of President Trump, his administration, and his congressional allies to intimidate the judiciary, dismantle the rule of law, and weaponize the executive branch," the letter said.

Catch up quick: Federal district judges have issued injunctions and restraining orders to halt the Trump administration's sweeping federal actions.

• Courts have blocked Trump's executive orders at a particularly high rate compared to other recent presidents.

In response, Trump and House Republicans have called for the impeachment of at least one judge, James Boasberg. Elon Musk also suggested impeaching judges.

• Notably, the administration defied Boasberg's court order last month to turn back flights deporting about 250 Venezuelans to El Salvador.
• The Trump administration has also sanctioned large law firms he views as political opponents, including Jenner & Block and Perkins Coie.

Zoom out: Among the dozens of organizations who sent the letter were the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Media and Democracy, Fix Democracy First, Human Rights Campaign, MoveOn and the National Consumers League.

• Their letter follows that of at least 94 professors at Harvard Law School condemning the administration's "severe" challenge to the rule of law and legal profession.

The bottom line: "Our Constitution unequivocally establishes that a president is not a king and that no one stands above the law," Thursday's letter said.

Read the full letter:

Go deeper: Harvard Law professors blast Trump crackdown in open letter