U.S. Court Strikes Down Trump-Era Order Targeting Law Firm Linked to Clinton
Washington, D.C. — WafricNews
A U.S. federal judge has struck down a controversial executive order issued by former President Donald Trump, declaring it unconstitutional after it targeted a prominent law firm that represented Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The ruling, delivered Friday by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, found that the executive order — EO 14230 — violated several core principles of the U.S. Constitution, including free speech protections, due process, and the right to legal representation.
Judge Howell, appointed by former President Barack Obama, described Trump’s move as a “blunt exercise of power” and issued a scathing rebuke of what she called an unlawful act of political retaliation.
“The U.S. Constitution affords critical protections against Executive action like that ordered in EO 14230,” Howell wrote in her 100-page decision. “Government officials, including the President, may not retaliate against individuals for engaging in protected speech.”
The executive order sought to penalize Perkins Coie, a Washington, D.C.–based law firm that not only represented Clinton’s 2016 campaign but also took on cases involving voting rights — many of which clashed with Trump’s political agenda.
Under the order, the firm’s access to federal clients and security clearances was threatened. The move was widely seen as an attempt to silence legal opposition and punish political dissent. Perkins Coie and several other firms challenged the order in court, securing temporary injunctions. But Friday’s ruling marks the first permanent legal defeat for the executive action.
In an unusually literary opinion, Judge Howell cited Shakespeare, John Adams, and the Bill of Rights, referencing the line, “Let’s kill all the lawyers,” from Henry VI.
“In a cringe-worthy twist on the theatrical phrase... the executive order takes the approach of ‘Let’s kill the lawyers I don’t like,’ sending the clear message: lawyers must stick to the party line, or else,” Howell wrote.
She went on to condemn the order as “unconstitutional retaliation and viewpoint discrimination, plain and simple.” The judge emphasized that using federal authority to punish lawyers for whom they represent or what causes they champion is fundamentally incompatible with democratic norms.
In addition to violating First Amendment protections of free expression, Howell found the order vague and procedurally flawed, thus breaching Fifth Amendment due process guarantees and Sixth Amendment rights to counsel.
The ruling is seen as a landmark affirmation of the independence of the legal profession and a warning against the misuse of executive power for political vendettas.
A formal response from Trump’s legal team had not been issued at the time of publication.
By WafricNews Desk.
By WafricNews Desk.
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