In Washington on Friday, a federal judge put a stop to a White House executive order aimed at top law firms, which was seen as part of a retaliation campaign against President Donald Trump’s legal opponents.
Judge Beryl Howell, from the US District Court, ruled that the executive order targeting Perkins Coie law firm breached several constitutional provisions and instructed that it be nullified immediately.
The controversial order proposed various punitive measures against the firm, including revoking security clearances for its attorneys, barring employees from federal buildings, and terminating any federal contracts linked to the firm.
This was part of a broader series of similar actions aimed at punishing some of the nation’s most prestigious law firms, often linked to previous representatives favored by the Trump administration or to prosecutors who investigated Trump in the past.
The White House specifically pointed to Perkins Coie’s involvement with Hillary Clinton’s campaign during the 2016 presidential election.
In his extensive 102-page ruling, Howell noted, “While the US president has not been previously published in this lawsuit concerning high-profile law firms, the actions taken draw from a playbook as old as Shakespeare.”
This decision was rather anticipated, especially since Howell had previously expressed considerable concern about the order during a more recent hearing, where he had a tense exchange with a Justice Department lawyer who was trying to justify the temporary blocking of various clauses within the order.
Up to now, all firms contesting the order against them—like Perkins Coie, Wilmerhale, Jenner & Block, and Susman Godfrey—have effectively managed to delay the order at the very least. There are also other major firms that have taken preemptive measures to circumvent the order by negotiating settlements that involve providing millions in free legal services to support initiatives aligned with the Trump administration.
