Legal journalist Chris Geidner reports U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan agreed to temporarily block a Trump administration directive, while describing the directive as against the ideals of the nation’s founding fathers.
"Frankly, I think the framers of our Constitution would see this as a shocking abuse of power," AliKhan said, according to Geidner. "While I wish other firms were not capitulating ... I admire Susman [and others challenging Trump's acts]."
Law firm Susman Godfrey launched a suit against the administration after Trump retaliated against it for its role in litigating for plaintiff Dominion Voting Systems in a defamation case against Fox News. That case, challenging false claims that Democrats stole the 2020 election from Trump, ultimately ended in victory. Fox News settled for nearly $1 billion.
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The White House accuses several firms of "weaponizing" the legal system, claiming they have a connection to Trump’s legal and political adversaries, and they work on voting rights and other cases Trump personally opposes. The administration also seeks to punish firms over employment policies that encourage diversity.
Since taking office, Trump has been issuing executive orders and memos punishing major law firms by suspending security clearances, canceling government contracts, and barring employees from federal buildings, among other retaliatory tactics.
Nine firms, including Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps and Simpson Thacher have already cut deals with the White House to avoid threats to their right to conduct business. Many have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in free legal work to Trump’s personal political and legal causes.
Judge AliKhan became the 4th judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the president’s retaliatory executive orders, finding the EO against Susman “retaliatory and discriminates based on viewpoint,” which is a First Amendment violation.
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"Nothing in the order shows a compelling interest," Geidner reported the judge saying. She also found the order likely violates the Fifth Amendment right to due process.
See Geidner’s post at this link.