WASHINGTON, D.C. — After more than a year of escalating efforts by the Trump administration to blacklist critics, censor dissent, and punish those who challenge its policies, a coalition of civil liberties organizations is urging a federal appeals court to draw a constitutional line against what it calls a sweeping and unconstitutional campaign to silence legal opposition.
The coalition filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in four consolidated cases—Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey—and in Mark Zaid, on behalf of an attorney who represents national security whistleblowers in cases involving classified information. The coalition’s briefs challenge presidential actions that targeted law firms for representing clients and causes disfavored by the Trump administration. The coalition argues that the executive orders violate the First Amendment, the separation of powers, and due process, and represent an unprecedented attempt by the executive branch to weaponize government power against the legal profession itself. At stake, the coalition warns, is not just the fate of a handful of law firms—but whether lawyers across the country can continue to challenge the government without fear of retaliation.
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