Search Articles
WASHINGTON (CN) — A federal judge on Tuesday struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm WilmerHale, the latest legal blow to the president’s efforts to cow the legal profession into representing issues he favors.
Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Leon found Trump’s March 27 order — directing agency heads to review WilmerHale attorneys’ security clearances, government contracts with the firm and attorney access to government buildings — “must be struck down in its entirety as unconstitutional.”
“Indeed, to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the founding fathers!” Leon, a George W. Bush appointee wrote in the 73-page opinion.
Leon had previously granted WilmerHale’s motion for a temporary restraining order blocking the sections ordering review of government contracts tied to the firm and limiting attorney access to government buildings.
In recent years, WilmerHale has litigated several cases that have drawn the president’s ire: a suit brought by several inspectors general Trump suddenly terminated to start his second term; a House Committee on Ways and Means case that forced Trump to disclose his personal tax returns; election litigation by the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris campaigns; and 2020 election challenges by Trump on behalf of the Democratic National Committee and state-level organizations.
Further, Trump took issue with the firm’s employment of former special counsel Robert Mueller and members of his team, although Mueller has since retired from the firm.
A WilmerHale spokesperson welcomed Leon’s ruling in an emailed statement.
“The court’s decision to permanently block the unlawful executive order in its entirety strongly affirms our foundational constitutional rights and those of our clients,” the spokesperson said. “We remain proud to defend our firm, our people and our clients.”
Leon found Trump’s order imposed “a kitchen sink of severe sanctions” on WilmerHale for engaging in protected speech, with the goal of causing clients to reconsider working with the firm.
“Taken together, the provisions constitute a staggering punishment for the firm’s protected speech!” Leon wrote. “The order is intended to, and does in fact, impede the firm’s ability to effectively represent its clients!”
He noted that, if the order were enforced, it could have barred WilmerHale attorneys from entering federal courthouses for trial, meeting with federal regulators or accessing classified materials when working on national security issues.
The order would further result in serious financial consequences for the firm, Leon found, as 21 of WilmerHale’s 25 largest clients in 2024 have contracts with federal agencies, accounting for 30% of the firm’s 2024 revenue, or nearly $500 million.
Altogether, the threatened sanctions send a clear message to law firms across the country who may represent a client against the administration, Leon said.
“The order shouts through a bullhorn: If you take on causes disfavored by President Trump, you will be punished!” Leon wrote.
Leon’s is the latest ruling striking down Trump’s orders as unlawful retaliation against law firms, following rulings in favor of Perkins Coie and Jenner Block.
Senior U.S. District Judge John Bates, another Bush appointee, ruled Friday to block a near-identical order targeting firm Jenner Block after finding it was clear retaliation for the firm’s employment of Andrew Weissmann and its pro bono practices, which Trump asserted were used for “destructive causes.”
“Like the others in the series, this order — which takes aim at the global law firm Jenner & Block — makes no bones about why it chose its target: it picked Jenner because of the causes Jenner champions, the clients Jenner represents and a lawyer Jenner once employed,” Bates wrote.
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan is actively weighing summary judgment requests in a parallel case regarding Trump’s order targeting firm Susman Godfrey.
Trump first targeted Covington Burling with a presidential memorandum for certain attorneys’ work on former special counsel Jack Smith’s cases against the president.
He has also made deals with nine firms for $1 billion in free legal services for initiatives backed by the administration. Those firms include Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps, Willkie Farr, Latham Watkins, Milbank, Cadwalader, Kirkland Ellis and Simpson Thacher.
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, who struck down Trump’s Perkins Coie order, noted in her ruling that the nation’s lawyers have long prided themselves on representing even the most controversial clients, like John Adams did with the eight British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre.
Leon echoed that sentiment.
“The cornerstone of the American system of justice is an independent judiciary and an independent bar willing to tackle unpopular cases, however daunting,” Leon wrote. “The found fathers knew this!”
Follow @Ryan_KnappySubscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.