U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 9, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
The law firm of Perkins Coie is responding to President Donald Trump's executive order targeting them with a sweeping new lawsuit accusing the administration of political repression — and legal experts are celebrating the move.
Trump targeted the firm, which is widely respected in the legal field and whose own lawyers have received appointments to judgeships by Trump in the past, in what is widely believed to be retaliation for opposing his lawsuits to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The order strips the firm and anyone involved with it of security clearances and ties to the federal government generally.
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In the lawsuit, represented by fellow powerhouse law firm Williams & Connolly, Perkins Coie alleges multiple violations of the bill of rights and proclaims, "Perkins Coie cannot allow its clients to be bullied."
"Great to see Perkins Coie challenge Trump’s order banning them from security clearances, government contracts, and federal buildings," wrote former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade on X. "And good for Williams and Connelly [sic] for not only representing them, but having 15 lawyers sign their names to the complaint."
"Law firm fights back on behalf of all of us," wrote Leslie Proll, a voting rights attorney with the Leadership Conference. "We cannot allow them to come for the lawyers. Full stop."
"I cannot overstate how much I love the fact that Williams & Connolly put *14* individual lawyers’ names in the signature block of their complaint," wrote Never Trump conservative attorney George Conway. "W&C is sending a clear message: We are not afraid. BRAVO."