Trump Administration Drops Appeals of Law Firm Executive Orders after Court Losses

The Justice Department abandoned its defense of President Trump's executive orders targeting four major law firms, making permanent federal court rulings that found the measures unconstitutional.

The Trump administration has abandoned its legal fight to enforce executive orders targeting four major law firms, dropping appeals just days before a critical filing deadline and effectively conceding defeat after multiple federal judges ruled the measures unconstitutional.

The Justice Department filed motions Monday to voluntarily dismiss appeals in consolidated cases involving Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner & Block, and Susman Godfrey. The surrender makes permanent four separate district court rulings that found the president's 2025 executive orders which sought to cancel government contracts, suspend security clearances, and restrict access to federal buildings violated the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments.

President Trump had targeted the firms for their associations with political adversaries: Perkins Coie for representing Hillary Clinton in 2016, WilmerHale and Jenner & Block for employing Robert Mueller and Andrew Weissmann respectively, and Susman Godfrey for representing Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation suit against Fox News.

Federal judges resoundingly rejected the administration's position. One judge called the orders "motivated by retaliation", while another wrote they "seek to chill legal representation the administration doesn't like." In the Susman Godfrey case, Judge Loren AliKhan found the order was the result of a "personal vendetta." 

The four firms celebrated the outcome. "The government's decision to withdraw its appeals makes permanent the rulings of four federal judges that the executive orders targeting law firms...were unconstitutional," Jenner & Block stated. Susman Godfrey said the government "has capitulated, which is a fitting end to its plainly unconstitutional attack." 

However, not all targeted firms fought back. Paul Weiss settled with the White House, agreeing to provide $40 million in pro bono work supporting administration initiatives. Eight other firms struck similar deals, collectively pledging nearly $1 billion in free legal services.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed amicus briefs supporting the firms, called it a "shameful assault on the rule of law" that ultimately failed.