Justice Department Drops Defense of Trump's Law Firm Orders, Reducing Legal Sector Risk

The administration will voluntarily dismiss appeals of lower court decisions that deemed the orders unconstitutional. These executive orders, issued last year, sought to punish firms like Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, Perkins Coie, and Susman Godfrey due to certain hires or legal work, impacting clients, access to federal buildings, and employee security clearances.

While these four firms will no longer face the administration's defense of the orders, Trump's administration had previously secured hundreds of millions in free legal services from nine other firms that made deals to avoid similar directives. The law firms involved, including Perkins Coie for its representation of Hillary Clinton and WilmerHale/Jenner & Block for employing lawyers who worked on the Russia investigation, viewed the government's decision as a vindication of the rule of law and constitutional rights.