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Judge tosses Trump order punishing the law firm WilmerHale

"The Courts Versus Trump, Then and Now
"2 more judges block Trump administration's use of Alien Enemies Act to remove certain migrants'"

See also: Law firms fighting back and winning.
[...]Judge John Bates, a long-serving federal district court judge in Washington, DC, ruled that Trump's executive order punishing the law firm Jenner & Block was not only unconstitutional, but that Trump's actions were "doubly violative of the Constitution."
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=176244110

The ruling is the third time a federal judge struck down one of President Donald Trump’s orders targeting a prominent law firm.

May 27, 2025 at 6:27 p.m. EDTYesterday at 6:27 p.m. EDT

President Donald Trump’s push to punish law firms suffered another defeat Tuesday, as a federal judge in D.C. struck down his executive order aimed at the law firm WilmerHale.

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon ruled that Trump’s order was unconstitutional and blocked the government from enforcing it, becoming the third judge this month .. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/23/trump-jenner-block-order-struck-down/ .. to side with a law firm that had challenged the president’s orders.

Trump has taken aim at several prominent firms with ties to his perceived enemies, directing that these businesses be blocked from government contracts and federal buildings. Four firms sued to fight .. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/15/trump-susman-godfrey-judge-punishments/ .. Trump’s orders. Nine others, meanwhile, struck deals .. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/11/trump-law-firms-deals-orders/ .. with the Trump administration to avoid similar punishments, prompting an outcry from within those firms and across the legal profession.

[ Insert: 4 law firms targeted by Trump extend their winning streak against White House
These four law firms targeted by Trump challenged his offensive in court. At this point, they're undefeated.
Perkins Coie .. Jenner & Block .. WilmerHale .. Susman Godfrey
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/4-law-firms-targeted-trump-extend-winning-streak-white-house-rcna201492 ]

The firms that sued have found the courts very receptive to their arguments. Last week, a judge struck down Trump’s order against Jenner & Block, while another judge blocked his punishments for Perkins Coie on May 2. A ruling in the case of the fourth firm, Susman Godfrey, is still pending, though a judge has temporarily blocked most of Trump’s penalties for that business.

In a 73-page opinion accompanying his order, Leon wrote that it was necessary to block Trump’s punishments for WilmerHale to preserve “the independent and adversarial nature of our judicial system.”

Leon wrote that the Founding Fathers had understood the necessity of an independent judiciary and independent lawyers. Trump’s orders targeting law firms, the judge said, were “a staggering punishment” challenging that very concept.

“I have concluded that this Order must be struck down in its entirety as unconstitutional,” Leon wrote. “Indeed, to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!”

WilmerHale had said in its lawsuit that Trump was punishing the firm for cases it had taken, noting among other things that it had filed a suit this year challenging Trump’s dismissal of inspectors general and previously represented some of his political opponents.

The firm praised Leon’s ruling on Tuesday, with a spokesperson saying in a statement that his decision “strongly affirms our foundational constitutional rights and those of our clients.”

The Justice Department has defended Trump’s orders in court, saying that they were not intended to retaliate against the firms.

The Trump administration has so far not appealed the rulings striking down Trump’s orders punishing Perkins Coie and Jenner & Block. The Justice Department and White House did not respond to requests for comment about the WilmerHale ruling.

Trump issued his order against WilmerHale in March, accusing the firm of “employing lawyers who weaponize the prosecutorial power to upend the democratic process and distort justice.” He singled out for criticism the firm’s employment of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel who investigated Trump during his first term, and two of Mueller’s former deputies. (Mueller and one of his deputies retired from WilmerHale in 2021, according to the firm.)

Leon wrote that Trump’s order was intended to drive clients from WilmerHale and said that it was succeeding. While Leon had previously temporarily blocked most of Trump’s penalties for the firm in March, he wrote that nonetheless, “existing clients have been curtailing their relationships with WilmerHale and new clients are taking their business elsewhere.”

Trump’s order, Leon said, was “crafted to cripple the firm.” He also suggested this was not lost on the firms making deals with Trump, saying that they had “capitulated” to him in making those agreements.

Mark Berman is a national reporter for The Washington Post who covers law enforcement and criminal justice issues. Send him secure tips and messages on Signal at markberman.25
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/27/trump-wilmer-hale-sanctions-struck-down/