A federal judge on Friday issued a permanent decision that prohibited Trump’s government from applying executive orders targeting the Perkins Coie law firm, describing President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on law firms as legal attacks and “unprecedented attacks” on the basis of the rule of law.
“There is no American president who has issued an executive order as in question in this lawsuit that targets leading legal firms with detrimental actions that will be executed by all executive branch institutions but, with the purpose and effect, this action is interesting from an old manual that is accompanied by lawyers,” he said.
“In the horrified twist in the theater phrase ‘let’s kill all the lawyers,’ EO 14230 took the approach to ‘Let’s kill a lawyer that I did not like,’ Sending a clear message: the lawyer must keep holding on to the party line, or the other,” he added.
The Perkins Coie Law Firm Office was seen on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. Perkins Coie filed a lawsuit to block the executive order of President Donald Trump who disarmed security permits for lawyers who worked for Perkins Coie and aimed to end the existing government contracts with the company.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Image
The decision from Howell is a quick reprimand for government actions in cases that are only one of the challenges of some people against Trump’s efforts to target the law firm who have represented their political opponents or employ them.
Trump’s executive orders, quoting Perkins Coie representatives from the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, tried to disarm the security permit from the company’s lawyer, almost stop transactions with the federal government and limit lawyers from accessing most federal buildings.
In March, Howell issued a temporary detention order that prevented Trump’s administration from applying important parts of the executive order.
President Donald Trump wave when he stepped out of the Air Force One at the time of arrival at the Tuscaloosa National Airport in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, May 1, 2025.
Saul Loeb/AFP Via Getty Images
During the court hearing on April 23, when Howell pondered a more durable block, he again voiced concerns about the constitutionality of Trump’s steps and sharply questioned government lawyers.
On the day of the trial, Trump went down to social media to criticize the judge with the name of his duties for this case.
Trump has issued a similar executive order targeting four other legal firms, while at least nine legal firms have signed a controversial agreement with the White House, offering millions of dollars in pro Bono work on the causes supported by conservatives to avoid targets.