Judge rules Trump order pulling security clearances from law firm unconstitutional

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Friday ruled that President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the law firm Perkins Coie was unconstitutional and blocked the administration from enforcing it.

The president signed an executive order in March that pulled the security clearances of some of the firm's staff, claiming the law firm engaged in “dishonest and dangerous activity," and essentially barred its attorneys from federal buildings.

The firm sued the administration over the order, accusing the administration of targeting the firm for its representation of Democratic clients, such as Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

Judge Beryl A. Howell decided to skip a trial over the case and ruled that the president's actions amounted to unlawful coercion, and violated the First and Fifth Amendments.

“No American president has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue,” Howell wrote. “In purpose and effect, this action draws from a playbook as old as Shakespeare, who penned the phrase: ‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.’”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.