This lawyer really wishes he didn't have to sue President Trump

Jeffrey Lovitky is suing President Trump. It's a rather daunting task: Lovitky works at a one-man law firm that NPR describes as "a single room just large enough for a desk, a credenza, three bookcases, and two chairs." In fact, Lovitky wishes he wasn't suing Trump at all.

"It is intimidating. I am intimidated," Lovitky told NPR. "I mean, I would rather not be doing this."

But Lovitky has found something wrong with President Trump's financial disclosure form from last May. The form blends Trump's personal liabilities with his corporate liabilities, and as a result, it is impossible to distinguish the personal alone. Ultimately, "the report withholds from citizens something the law says they should have: an accounting of the president's personal liabilities," NPR writes. If Lovitky's case successfully survives the expected return-fire — a motion to dismiss the case for lack of standing — he could "end up setting a precedent that ordinary Americans can sue to seek enforcement of federal ethics laws."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

"You go back to the basic premise of what is each individual's civic responsibility?" Lovitky explained. "What do you owe?

Lovitky's federal lawsuit is one of 108 that name Trump as a defendant since Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. Listen to Lovitky's story below. Jeva Lange