Overview

• President Trump’s executive orders targeted law firms, including Jenner & Block, by revoking security clearances, terminating federal contracts, and restricting access to federal buildings.
• Jenner & Block, along with Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey, secured temporary injunctions against the orders, arguing violations of First and Fifth Amendment rights.
• During the April 28 hearing, Judge John Bates criticized the Justice Department’s defense, calling elements of the orders retaliatory and questioning their constitutionality.
• Nine other major law firms, unlike the challengers, settled with the administration by pledging nearly $1 billion in pro bono services to avoid sanctions.
• The legal community has rallied behind the challenging firms, with over 2,000 organizations and individuals filing amicus briefs warning of the orders’ chilling effect on legal independence.