Trump administration takes fight with major law firms to appeals court

The Trump administration pressed its case against four major law firms at the District of Columbia Circuit on Thursday, asking appellate judges to revive executive orders that a lower court had already blocked as unlawful and unconstitutional. The fight now centers on whether a president can use federal power to punish private lawyers whose work, clients or politics he dislikes, or whether that kind of pressure crosses a line that protects the legal system from political retaliation.

The case involves Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale and Susman Godfrey, firms targeted by orders that cited past legal work, diversity policies and political ties. The directives sought to strip firm employees of access to federal buildings, suspend security clearances and cut off government contracts held by clients of the firms. The administration has argued that the lower courts went too far and that the president has authority in areas touching national security and other executive functions.

The appeal was heard before a three-judge panel with two Democratic-appointed judges and one Republican-appointed judge at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, in a lineup that made the government’s path difficult but not impossible. Paul Clement, a former Republican-appointed U.S. solicitor general, argued for the firms. The Justice Department’s position was that the dispute was not about the sanctity of the American law firm, but about courts intruding on presidential power.

The district court fight has already been sweeping. Perkins Coie sued on March 11, 2025, and won a temporary restraining order the next day, according to the ACLU of D.C. Judge Beryl A. Howell later wrote that no American president had ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue. Her opinion also stressed the role of independent lawyers, citing John Adams’ defense of British soldiers after the Boston Massacre and the Sixth Amendment right to counsel.

The case has become a broader test of the administration’s willingness to use federal leverage against institutions it views as hostile. Nine other elite firms, including Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps, entered settlements rather than face similar orders, with the White House calculating the deals at nearly $1 billion and including pro bono commitments. In March 2026, the Justice Department briefly appeared ready to drop its appeal before reversing course less than 24 hours later. The outcome in Washington could shape not only these four cases, but also future attempts by presidents to pressure law firms through access, clearances and contracting power.