(The Guardian) ‘A capitalistic cowardice’: big law firms being threatened by Trump face pressure to speak out
Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms and attorneys who challenge his priorities are roiling the legal community, with some capitulating to the administration’s demands amid mounting pressure on the US’s biggest firms to speak out.
The president signed an executive order on Tuesday targeting the firm Jenner & Block over its previous employment of Andrew Weissmann, a prosecutor who worked on Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s connections to Russia. The order came after Trump issued similar executive orders targeting three other firms – Covington and Burling, Perkins Coie, and Paul Weiss – over their representation of his political rivals. As we’ve reported, Jenner & Block on Friday sued the US government seeking to block an executive order that would halt the firm’s business with the government and revoke the security clearances of its attorneys.
Indeed not only do Trump’s executive orders threaten to cripple the firms by revoking the security clearances of their lawyers and ending access to government buildings, they would force clients who do business with the government to disclose if they are represented by the firm. Trump also issued a separate executive order on Friday directing US attorney general Pam Bondi to investigate lawyers taking actions to block the administration’s priorities.
Scholars and experts say there is little doubt that Trump’s executive orders are a thinly-veiled effort to intimidate lawyers who might otherwise challenge the administration. The actions undermine a key element of the American democratic system by limiting the ability of potential adversaries to access the judicial system, one of the most powerful checks on executive power.
Trump got a huge boost last week when the firm Paul Weiss accepted demands from Trump in exchange for withdrawing the executive order targeting the firm. The White House was gleeful at that result and the administration reportedly already has a list of other firms it may subject to similar treatment.
David Perez, a partner at Perkins Coie, wrote in a post on Sunday on LinkedIn: Paul Weiss’s deal emboldened him to ratchet up his attack on one of the strongest checks on his power: lawyers and the rule of law. Now more than ever law firms and lawyers across the political spectrum have to stand up for our timeless values.
Perkins Coie is also suing the administration over the order and won a temporary restraining order blocking it.
www.theguardian.com
Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms and attorneys who challenge his priorities are roiling the legal community, with some capitulating to the administration’s demands amid mounting pressure on the US’s biggest firms to speak out.
The president signed an executive order on Tuesday targeting the firm Jenner & Block over its previous employment of Andrew Weissmann, a prosecutor who worked on Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s connections to Russia. The order came after Trump issued similar executive orders targeting three other firms – Covington and Burling, Perkins Coie, and Paul Weiss – over their representation of his political rivals. As we’ve reported, Jenner & Block on Friday sued the US government seeking to block an executive order that would halt the firm’s business with the government and revoke the security clearances of its attorneys.
Indeed not only do Trump’s executive orders threaten to cripple the firms by revoking the security clearances of their lawyers and ending access to government buildings, they would force clients who do business with the government to disclose if they are represented by the firm. Trump also issued a separate executive order on Friday directing US attorney general Pam Bondi to investigate lawyers taking actions to block the administration’s priorities.
Scholars and experts say there is little doubt that Trump’s executive orders are a thinly-veiled effort to intimidate lawyers who might otherwise challenge the administration. The actions undermine a key element of the American democratic system by limiting the ability of potential adversaries to access the judicial system, one of the most powerful checks on executive power.
Trump got a huge boost last week when the firm Paul Weiss accepted demands from Trump in exchange for withdrawing the executive order targeting the firm. The White House was gleeful at that result and the administration reportedly already has a list of other firms it may subject to similar treatment.
David Perez, a partner at Perkins Coie, wrote in a post on Sunday on LinkedIn: Paul Weiss’s deal emboldened him to ratchet up his attack on one of the strongest checks on his power: lawyers and the rule of law. Now more than ever law firms and lawyers across the political spectrum have to stand up for our timeless values.
Perkins Coie is also suing the administration over the order and won a temporary restraining order blocking it.
‘A capitalistic cowardice’: big law firms being threatened by Trump face pressure to speak out
Trump signed executive orders aimed at firms challenging his administration’s priorities, roiling the legal community
www.theguardian.com
