In a blistering statement issued this week, the ABA said there was a “clear and disconcerting pattern” of “escalating governmental efforts to interfere with fair and impartial courts, the right to counsel and due process, and the freedoms of speech and association in our country”.

It said: “If a court issues a decision this administration does not agree with, the judge is targeted. If a lawyer represents parties in a dispute with the administration, or if a lawyer represents parties the administration does not like, lawyers are targeted.

“We issued statements standing up for these four key principles, and a government official targeted us by instructing some of its lawyers not to attend ABA meetings or participate as speakers.”

The Trump administration last week stripped security clearances from lawyers at a prominent Washington DC firm which provided pro bono services to Jack Smith, the former special counsel who previously led criminal investigations into the president’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election result.

The ABA said the firm – Covington & Burling LLP – was being punished “because it represents a party that the administration does not like”, and noted “reports that actions may be taken against more law firms”.

It said: “Clients have the right to have access to their lawyer without interference by the government. Lawyers must be free to represent clients and perform their ethical duty without fear of retribution. These government actions deny clients access to justice and betray our fundamental values.”

Between a quarter and a third of US attorneys are members of the ABA, which describes itself as the world’s largest voluntary association of lawyers.

In its statement, the ABA said it “will not stay silent in the face of efforts to remake the legal profession into something that rewards those who agree with the government and punishes those who do not”.

It concluded: “There are clear choices facing our profession. We can choose to remain silent and allow these acts to continue or we can stand for the rule of law and the values we hold dear.

“We call upon the entire profession, including lawyers who serve in elected positions, to speak out against intimidation.

“We acknowledge that there are risks to standing up and addressing these important issues. But if the ABA and lawyers do not speak, who will speak for the organised bar?

“Who will speak for the judiciary? Who will protect our system of justice? If we don’t speak now, when will we speak?

“The American Bar Association has chosen to stand and speak. Now is the time for all of us to speak with one voice. We invite you to stand with us.”