A federal judge ruled on Friday that President Trump overstepped his authority in targeting law firm Perkins Coie, ultimately blocking the enforcement of an executive order intended to intimidate the firm. This ruling is significant as it is the first instance where a court has permanently prohibited a president from retaliating against a politically opposed law firm. The judge identified the executive orders as coercive and detrimental to lawyers' independence. Trump's orders had labeled multiple firms as national security threats based on their political affiliations and past legal representations involved with investigations against him.
No American president has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue, she wrote, adding, In purpose and effect, this action draws from a playbook as old as Shakespeare, who penned the phrase: The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.'
Judge Beryl A. Howell of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia wrote that attempts to bring the firm to heel under the threat of retaliation amounted to unlawful coercion, and imperiled its lawyers' ability to freely practice law.
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