A federal appeals fight scheduled for Thursday put an unusual and consequential question before the D.C. Circuit: how far a president or executive branch may go in penalizing private law firms based on the clients they represent or positions they take in politically charged matters.

According to reporting on the matter, former President Donald Trump is seeking appellate relief tied to efforts aimed at punishing major law firms.

Illinois lawmakers are drawing national attention with proposed House and Senate bills that would tighten restrictions on how law firms interact with alternative business structure and management-service organization models. While the measures have not been enacted, they stand out because they go directly to some of the most contested questions in the legal industry: who can own, manage, and profit from legal services.

At a high level, the proposals would reinforce longstanding limits on nonlawyer involvement in the practice of law, including concerns about fee-sharing, ownership, and operational control.