'What possible threat do they pose?' Judge grills Trump DOJ attorney over law firm threats

28 March

U.S. President Donald Trump holds an executive order, at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 25, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

President Donald Trump has recently issued a wave of executive orders targeting law firms that represented some of his political opponents, along with firms where his opponents previously worked. But some of those firms are fighting back, and scoring big wins against the Trump administration in court.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the law firms Jenner & Block and WilmerHale both sued Trump over his executive orders, which stripped their attorneys of security clearances, barred them from government buildings and directed federal agencies to cancel active contracts with the firms. In the case of WilmerHale, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon (who was appointed by former President George W. Bush) granted the firm a temporary restraining order on Friday blocking Trump's executive order from going into effect.

"The injuries to [WilmerHale] would be severe and spill over to its clients and the justice system at large," Judge Leon wrote.

During Friday afternoon's hearing in Leon's courtroom, the Republican-appointed judge was reportedly "incredulous" when questioning an attorney representing the Trump administration's Department of Justice, according to NBC News reporter Gary Grumbach. Leon pointed out that the E. Barrett Prettyman District of Columbia courthouse was in the same category of buildings that the administration was seeking to prevent the firm's staff from entering.

"What possible threat do they pose from having access to government buildings?" Leon said. “This is a government building."

The white-shoe law firm Perkins Coie was also targeted by one of Trump's executive orders, but the firm's attorneys have held fast and fought back, and some of the firm's clients have reportedly sought to have more work sent to Perkins Coie as a form of encouragement. Some of its top clients, like Boeing, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Intel and even the Seattle Seahawks NFL team have refused to cut their contracts in spite of Trump's attacks.

Not all of the targets of Trump's rage have stood up to him. Last week, the firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul Weiss) agreed to provide $40 million worth of pro bono work on causes important to the Trump administration in order for Trump to rescind his order targeting the firm, which some critics described as a "shakedown." Trump also agreed to a similar deal with the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom (Skadden) on Friday for $100 million in pro bono services. Both Paul Weiss and Skadden also agreed to not hire new attorneys based on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices.

Click here to read the Journal's report in full (subscription required).

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