U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell issued a temporary restraining order after President Donald Trump signed an executive order retaliating against a law firm for representing Hillary Clinton and George Soros.
During a Wednesday hearing, attorneys for Perkins Coie told Howell that Trump's order would effectively destroy the firm by preventing lawyers from entering federal buildings or meeting with federal employees.
One attorney described it "like a tsunami waiting to hit the firm. It truly is life-threatening ... It will spell the end of the law firm."
Howell told Department of Justice lawyer Chad Mizelle that the executive order "sends chills" down her spine when "he claims that the President has the power to issue an executive order like this based solely on his view that a certain individual or company has not acted in the nation's interests," Lawfare's Anna Bower reported.
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"If left unchecked, we'll be left in a country we barely recognize," Perkins Coie's attorney said in closing.
Howell ruled the law firm "met its burden" to secure a temporary restraining order.
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