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BumRushDaShow

(148,895 posts) Wed Mar 12, 2025, 05:00 PM Wednesday

Perkins Coie, law firm targeted by Trump, wins temporary restraining order

Source: USA Today

Published 4:47 p.m. ET Mar. 12, 2025

A federal judge on Wednesday said she will temporarily halt President Donald Trump's new restrictions on law firm Perkins Coie, which represented Hillary Clinton during her failed 2016 bid for the presidency.

In a March 6 executive order, Trump directed federal agencies to terminate contracts with Perkins Coie "to the extent permitted by law," to limit the firm's approximately 1,200 lawyers' access to federal buildings and federal employees, and to halt security clearances for employees at the firm.

By explanation, the order claimed the law firm hired Fusion GPS to compile of dossier of information critical of Trump while it was representing Clinton, and that it discriminates on the basis of race in hiring decisions. Judge Beryl Howell said at a hearing Wednesday that she would issue a temporary restraining order to block Trump's order while the firm's lawsuit challenging it plays out.

In its lawsuit, the firm accused Trump of seeking to destroy it based on "a tiny sliver" of its work. "The Order is not just an attempt to constrain or weaken Perkins Coie; its objective is to destroy the Firm," the firm said in a filing. "Unless restrained, the Order realistically might succeed in that objective within days based on the weight of the federal pressure being deployed against the Firm’s clients."

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/12/perkins-coie-trump-executive-order-hearing/82310068007/

Link to original FILING (PDF viewer) - https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25559516-perkins-coie-memo-supporting-tro-request/

Somebody was apparently DDoSing Court Listener and they were able to block "100 IPs" per a Blue Sky post -

https://bsky.app/profile/free.law/post/3lk73dpo4rs2x

Free Law Project ⚖
‪@free.law‬
We're having some downtime due to our search engine being overwhelmed. Working on it!
March 12, 2025 at 1:13 PM
3 reposts
2 quotes
54 likes
‪Free Law Project ⚖‬ ‪@free.law‬
·
29m

We're still looking for the cause of the issue. We just blocked 100 IP addresses that looked suspicious. Hopefully this will get us back to normal soon.

But here is Judge Howell's "minute order" granting the TRO - https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69725919/perkins-coie-llp-v-us-department-of-justice/

Mar 12, 2025

Minute Entry for proceedings held before Judge Beryl A. Howell: Motion Hearing held on 3/12/2025 in re 2 Motion for Temporary Restraining Order. The Court Heard Oral Arguments From The Parties. For The Reasons Stated On The Record, The Court Will Grant 2 Motion For Temporary Restraining Order. Parties Proposed Briefing Schedule Due No Later Than 4:00PM on 3/13/2025. (Court Reporter ELIZABETH DAVILA.) (mac)

18 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Perkins Coie, law firm targeted by Trump, wins temporary restraining order (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Wednesday OP

Great news! mcar Wednesday #1

I know both firms well Henry203 Wednesday #2

Here's hoping! calimary Thursday #16

Just one of countless others DENVERPOPS Wednesday #3

Nixon's "enemy list" on steroids BumRushDaShow Wednesday #6

Lawyers DENVERPOPS Wednesday #7

WOW. Rainman4u2C Wednesday #13

Judge temporarily blocks part of Trump's executive order against prominent Democratic Party-tied law firm Perkins Coie LetMyPeopleVote Wednesday #4

I'm willing to bet Perkins Coie has better attorneys than those remaining at the DOJ. flashman13 Wednesday #5

A political appointee (assistant to Bonde) had to argue the case LetMyPeopleVote Wednesday #9

Judge Howell has an order out in this case already LetMyPeopleVote Wednesday #8

This message was self-deleted by its author LetMyPeopleVote Wednesday #10

No career DOJ attorney would touch this case and so Bonde's chief of staf/acting No. 3 DOJ official argued this case LetMyPeopleVote Wednesday #11

No career DOJ attorney would touch this case and so Bonde's chief of staff/acting No. 3 DOJ official argued this case LetMyPeopleVote Wednesday #12

don't see how this ends in our favor cadoman Wednesday #14

There is a pesky law that has nothing to do with the "Commander in Chief" BumRushDaShow Thursday #15

Where are the other law firms speaking out against this travesty? Gimpyknee Thursday #17

Fabulous news! Native Thursday #18

mcar

(44,182 posts)

1. Great news!

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 05:00 PM

Wednesday

Henry203

(407 posts)

2. I know both firms well

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 05:10 PM

Wednesday

I spoke to Perkins yesterday and met with Williams Connelly last week. Great firms. I think Perkins win at the Supreme court. Te lawyers on the Supreme court came from these firms and it is a club. They don't like anyone stepping on their toes.

calimary

(85,415 posts)

16. Here's hoping!

Reply to Henry203 (Reply #2)

Thu Mar 13, 2025, 05:49 AM

Thursday

DENVERPOPS

(11,332 posts)

3. Just one of countless others

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 05:13 PM

Wednesday

Trump is targeting for revenge, using his joke of an Attorney General and FBI appointees.....

He's got a long list he has compiled since 2016.......

Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely........

Never before in the History of America has there been anywhere near the corruptions of Trump's administrations...........

BumRushDaShow

(148,895 posts)

6. Nixon's "enemy list" on steroids

Reply to DENVERPOPS (Reply #3)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 05:31 PM

Wednesday

DENVERPOPS

(11,332 posts)

7. Lawyers

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Reply #6)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 06:49 PM

Wednesday

should lose their license for filing frivolous shit like this.............only filed to create chaos in our legal system.......

Definitely falls under:

If you can't DAZZLE them with BRILLIANCE, BAFFLE them with BULLSHIT.........

Rainman4u2C

(47 posts)

13. WOW.

Reply to DENVERPOPS (Reply #7)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 09:27 PM

Wednesday

After comments seen here on how to stop tRump this is truly the proverbial pot meeting the kettle. To each his own I guess.

LetMyPeopleVote

(159,892 posts)

4. Judge temporarily blocks part of Trump's executive order against prominent Democratic Party-tied law firm Perkins Coie

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 05:25 PM

Wednesday

The judge was correct to enjoin this crazy executive order. I am surprised that they found a DOJ stupid enough to go defend this clearly void executive order

Link to tweet

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/12/politics/perkins-coie-trump-executive-order-challenge

A federal judge on Wednesday halted parts of President Donald Trump’s executive order that targeted a Democratic-linked law firm.

US District Judge Beryl Howell sided with the firm Perkins Coie, which represented Hillary Clinton in 2016 and has been involved in election litigation that Trump opposed.

Howell granted the firm’s request for a temporary restraining order for some sections of Trump’s order. The parts being blocked include its limitations on government contracts with clients of the firm and the potential restrictions it puts on the firm’s employees, such as bans on hiring those employees for government positions or barring their access to federal buildings.

The executive order, Howell said, is “a punishment for a singled-out entity being disloyal.”

This order is based on a view of presidential executive power that was rejected by Judge Howell

The ruling came near the end of a hearing where the top aide to the attorney general argued that the president should be trusted without question if he wants to blacklist or sanction businesses or people as he sees fit across the country.

The argument from Chad Mizelle, the chief of staff to Attorney General Pam Bondi, is one of staggering presidential power.

Howell, a Barack Obama appointee, was flabbergasted by Mizelle’s argument, saying it sent “chills down my spine” to hear the president could bar all government business with a particular company or person. Howell compared that type of decision by the president to Treasury Department economic sanctions that are decided by the Office of Foreign Assets Control related to national security.

“Your view is, ‘Don’t be chilled, judge. You can just trust the president to draw the right line, and yes, he has that power?’” Howell asked. “And that’s the government’s position here?”

“100 percent,” Mizelle said. “The president has every right to take that action.”

Mizelle also argued the courts shouldn’t be able to limit the president’s authority, especially as he decides upon lawyers’ security clearances or other access questions related to national security.

flashman13

(1,052 posts)

5. I'm willing to bet Perkins Coie has better attorneys than those remaining at the DOJ.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 05:25 PM

Wednesday

LetMyPeopleVote

(159,892 posts)

9. A political appointee (assistant to Bonde) had to argue the case

Reply to flashman13 (Reply #5)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 07:08 PM

Wednesday

LetMyPeopleVote

(159,892 posts)

8. Judge Howell has an order out in this case already

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 07:04 PM

Wednesday

The order was probably mostly drafted before today's hearing because it was clear that this executive order is void.

Link to tweet

Response to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

LetMyPeopleVote This message was self-deleted by its author.

LetMyPeopleVote

(159,892 posts)

11. No career DOJ attorney would touch this case and so Bonde's chief of staf/acting No. 3 DOJ official argued this case

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 07:20 PM

Wednesday

This is a great summary of the case. Judge Howell was pissed. The fact that a political appointee had to argue this case amuses me

Link to tweet

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/12/perkins-coie-trump-executive-order-025783

Howell’s ruling is a temporary restraining order, meaning it blocks key provisions of the executive order while litigation continues. In emphatic remarks from the bench following an emergency hearing Wednesday, Howell expressed grave concern that Trump’s order would intimidate other law firms, discouraging them from taking on causes or people at odds with the administration.

“I am sure that many in the legal profession are watching in horror at what Perkins Coie is going through here,” said the judge, an appointee of President Barack Obama. “The order casts a chilling harm of blizzard proportions across the legal profession.”

The hearing featured an unusual appearance by the Justice Department’s chief of staff and acting No. 3 official, Chad Mizelle, who argued in defense of Trump’s order. Mizelle said Trump has largely unchecked authority to single out individuals or organizations as threatening to government interests.

“The president of the United States … is authorized under the Constitution to find certain individuals and certain companies are not trustworthy with the nations’ secrets,” Mizelle said.

LetMyPeopleVote

(159,892 posts)

12. No career DOJ attorney would touch this case and so Bonde's chief of staff/acting No. 3 DOJ official argued this case

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 07:22 PM

Wednesday

This is a great summary of the case. Judge Howell was pissed. The fact that a political appointee had to argue this case amuses me
https://bsky.app/profile/sugarcane99.bsky.social/post/3lk7j5ywm5c2e

Link to tweet

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/12/perkins-coie-trump-executive-order-025783

cadoman

(1,131 posts)

14. don't see how this ends in our favor

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Wed Mar 12, 2025, 10:51 PM

Wednesday

POTUS is Commander in Chief. What other branch would have control over security clearance management? District judge? Makes zero sense structurally.

Remedy for POTUS who cannot be trusted with managing security clearances is impeachment. We don't have the votes for that right now.

BumRushDaShow

(148,895 posts)

15. There is a pesky law that has nothing to do with the "Commander in Chief"

Reply to cadoman (Reply #14)

Thu Mar 13, 2025, 05:21 AM

Thursday

but applies to the ENTIRETY of the Executive Branch. The Executive Branch is NOT some free-wheeling independent entity with unilateral authority and without any check and balance (i.e., LAWS ENACTED BY CONGRESS THAT THE EXECUTIVE MUST UPHOLD), although the SCOTUS's Chief Enabler - John Roberts - has suggested some kind of "immunity" and unleashed an out-of-control monster who thinks everything "unlawful" that he does IS "lawful".

H.R.1233 - Presidential and Federal Records Act Amendments of 2014

EVERY Department/agency has a Records Schedule for disposition of each of the types of documents that they generate and I expect those schedules were violated. From an article I found early this morning, they are now "whining" about what they were doing - https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-administration-handling-usaid-documents-violate-federal-laws/story?id=119731105