A federal judge peppered his ruling with more than two dozen exclamation points to make clear to President Donald Trump his exasperation with an executive order targeting a top law firm.
Senior Judge Richard Leon from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia penned a 73-page ruling striking down Trump’s March executive order that targeted WilmerHale, a law firm the president accused of engaging in “obvious partisan representations to achieve political ends.”
Leon came out swinging in his introduction, and with his decisive punctuation, writing that he was declaring Trump’s order unconstitutional because “to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!”
“The cornerstone of the American system of justice is an independent judiciary and an independent bar willing to tackle unpopular cases, however daunting,” he wrote. “Now, however, several executive orders have been issued directly challenging these rights and that independence.”
Trump’s order revoked security clearances for WilmerHale staff, canceled government contracts, and prohibited the firm’s employees from entering federal buildings. Several other prominent law firms perceived as political enemies by the president, including Perkins Coie and Jenner & Block, were targeted with similar orders.
The president alleged that WilmerHale is “bent on employing lawyers who weaponize the prosecutorial power to upend the democratic process and distort justice.” He name-dropped former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who returned to the firm after investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.
WilmerHale hit back by suing Trump over his “unprecedented and unconstitutional” attack.
The court appeared convinced.
“The WilmerHale Order is, on its face, retaliation for the firm’s protected speech,” Leon wrote. “Taken together, the provisions constitute a staggering punishment for the firm’s protected speech! The Order is intended to, and does in fact, impede the firm’s ability to effectively represent its clients!”
Leon is now the third judge to stand in the way of Trump’s revenge tour against law firms. Federal judges earlier struck down similar executive orders that targeted Perkins Coie and Jenner & Block.
Not all targeted firms have taken Trump to court. Several others, including Skadden and Milbank, have handed wins to the president by vowing to provide the government with millions of dollars in pro bono work in exchange for being spared.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that the firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft bled employees after it decided to strike a deal with Trump.
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