Justice Department Drops Defense of Trump's Controversial Law Firm Orders

Four federal judges previously ruled the executive orders targeting law firms were unconstitutional.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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The Justice Department has moved to drop its legal defense of President Trump's executive orders that targeted several high-profile law firms, including Perkins Coie, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Susman Godfrey, and Jenner & Block. The orders, signed in 2021, sought to punish the firms for their legal work and client representations that were seen as politically opposed to the Trump administration.

Why it matters

The decision to abandon the defense of these executive orders represents a significant reversal for the Trump administration, which had previously extracted hundreds of millions of dollars in free legal services from other firms through coercive deals. The orders were widely seen as an attempt to punish Trump's political opponents in the legal community.

The details

The four law firms successfully challenged the executive orders in court, with federal judges ruling that the measures violated the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. The judges found that the orders were an attempt to "dictate the positions that law firms may or may not take" and were the result of "personal vendettas" against the firms.

  • The executive orders were signed by President Trump in March and April of 2021.
  • The Justice Department filed to dismiss the appeals on March 3, 2026.

The players

Perkins Coie

A law firm that represented Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign and hired a research firm that produced the "Steele Dossier", which was a target of the executive orders.

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

A law firm that employed lawyers who worked on the Justice Department's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, including former Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Susman Godfrey

A law firm that represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which stemmed from unfounded claims about the 2020 election.

Jenner & Block

A law firm that employed lawyers, including Andrew Weissmann, who worked on the Justice Department's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States who signed the executive orders targeting the law firms.

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What’s next

The Justice Department's decision to drop its defense of the executive orders targeting the law firms comes as it responds to over 600 lawsuits challenging various aspects of the Trump administration's agenda. The American Bar Association had also filed a legal challenge to the law firm executive orders, arguing they violated the First Amendment.

The takeaway

The Justice Department's decision to abandon the defense of these controversial executive orders represents a significant victory for the rule of law and the independence of the legal profession. It underscores the importance of an independent judiciary in checking executive overreach, even by a politically powerful president.