Law Firms
Law firms fight DOJ effort to revive ‘draconian’ executive orders
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Aug. 25, 2025. (Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)
Four prominent law firms argued Friday in court filings that executive orders signed by President Donald Trump unconstitutionally targeted their firms for representing clients and causes that Trump dislikes.
The firms—Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, Susman Godfrey, Jenner & Block and Perkins Coie—are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to affirm the lower court’s permanent injunction of executive orders targeting firms.
Trump’s “draconian” executive orders “pose a severe threat to the legal profession and the rule of law,” attorneys for WilmerHale told the court.
The Department of Justice has until April 10 to reply. Oral arguments are set for May 14, according to a story by Bloomberg Law.
Earlier this month, the DOJ filed a motion notifying the court that it intended to drop the appeals and requesting a voluntary dismissal. However, less than 24 hours later, the government filed a motion seeking to “withdraw” that voluntary dismissal, which the court granted.
Law.com also has coverage.
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