Federal Judge Strikes Down Trump Executive Order Targeting WilmerHale Law Firm

A conservative federal judge, Richard J. Leon, has ruled President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm WilmerHale as unconstitutional, striking it down in its entirety. The order, part of a series of punitive measures against law firms associated with Trump’s political opponents or causes he opposed, sought to restrict WilmerHale employees' access to federal buildings and security clearances. In a notably colorful 73-page opinion, Leon employed 27 exclamation points and even included a gumbo recipe to emphasize his condemnation of the order, underscoring the importance of an independent judiciary and legal profession as envisioned by the Founding Fathers. The judge highlighted that no previous executive order in nearly 250 years had challenged these fundamental constitutional rights. Several law firms have faced similar executive orders, some complying by offering pro bono work, while others, including WilmerHale, have resisted and successfully challenged the sanctions in court. This ruling marks a significant rebuke of Trump’s retaliatory legal campaign against firms representing his adversaries or investigating him.