A federal judge in Washington, D.C., nullified on Tuesday President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at the prominent law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (WilmerHale), labeling it “unconstitutional."
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon — who was appointed to the bench by former President George W. Bush — handed down his decision on Tuesday afternoon, effectively dismantling the administration’s attempt to sanction WilmerHale.
The administration's move to go after the firm was widely seen as part of Trump's broader campaign against influential legal firms that have drawn criticism from him and his allies.
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“For the reasons set forth below, I have concluded that this order must be struck down in its entirety as unconstitutional,” Leon stated in his ruling. “Indeed, to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!”
The GOP-appointed judge ruled the directive unconstitutional and issued a permanent injunction preventing the government from implementing it.
Legal experts and commentators celebrated the ruling on social media, noting that the ruling has an unusual number of exclamation points.
Lawyer Adam Bonin wrote on the social platform Bluesky: "There are 27 exclamation marks in this opinion. There are 27 outs in a baseball perfect game."
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Politico reporter Daniel Barnes wrote on X:"Lots! Of! Exclamation! In Judge Leon’s opinion striking down Trump’s EO targeting WilmerHale as unconstitutional. He’s the third judge to rule against one of the law firm EOs in recent days - only the Susman Godfrey ruling left to go."
"Has anyone started a counter of how many times federal judges have used exclamation points in their rulings on various Trump actions? Seems like I see more now than I ever have," wrote a user on BlueSky.
California Institute of the Arts adjunct professor Noah J. Nelson wrote: "Every single one of these law firms should turn around and sue him for damages. Bigly."
Another loss for the biggest loser," wrote progressive influencer Alex Core on X.
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