Trump administration seeks to revive executive orders targeting law firms [View all]

Source: Reuters

March 6, 2026 8:44 PM EST Updated 10 hours ago


WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration asked a ​federal appeals court on Friday to revive his executive orders that sought to punish four major ‌U.S. law firms, arguing that federal judges overstepped their authority by blocking directives that rest within core presidential powers.

The Justice Department told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that the four judges "bent over backwards" to invalidate Trump's orders against ​the firms Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner & Block and Susman Godfrey "without considering their plainly constitutional aspects and ​applications."

The law firms in lawsuits challenging the directives said the Republican president illegally retaliated against ⁠them for representing his political adversaries or clients who challenged his policies in court, or had employed lawyers ​who took part in past government investigations aimed at the president.

Trump's executive orders sought to restrict access to federal buildings ​for lawyers working for the firms and to end U.S. government contracts held by clients of the firms. The judges found that Trump violated the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections against government abridgment of free speech and Fifth Amendment promise of due process, and ​issued orders permanently blocking the directives.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-seeks-revive-executive-orders-targeting-law-firms-2026-03-07/