Another one of Donald Trump’s executive orders has been thrown out by a federal judge — this time targeting a major law firm that refused to play ball with the president.
Trump’s order tried to punish the firm WilmerHale by cutting it off from government contracts, banning its lawyers from federal buildings, and reviewing their security clearances — all because the firm had links to people Trump didn’t like, including Robert Mueller, who led the Russia investigation.
But Judge Richard J. Leon wasn’t having it.
“Siding with WilmerHale, which sued to block the president’s order,” The New York Times reported, “Judge Richard J. Leon of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia wrote that Mr. Trump appeared intent on coercing the firm to the bargaining table under the threat of harsh penalties.”
The judge’s decision is a win for the few firms that chose to fight back instead of giving in to Trump’s pressure campaign. According to the Times, “several of their peers caved to the pressure campaign and made deals with Mr. Trump to avoid persecution.”
Those deals weren’t small. Some law firms handed over millions of dollars in free legal work for causes Trump supported — just to avoid getting blacklisted.
WilmerHale stood its ground and sued, calling Trump’s order “unlawful.” Judge Leon agreed. In his ruling, he wrote: “The cornerstone of the American system of justice is an independent judiciary and an independent bar willing to tackle unpopular cases, however daunting. The Founding Fathers knew this.”
This isn’t the first time Trump’s legal revenge tactics have been shut down. Earlier this month, another judge struck down a similar order against Perkins Coie — a firm known for representing the group that funded the Steele Dossier — calling the entire order “null and void in its entirety.”
