Two federal judges have blocked virtually identical executive orders targeting two prominent law firms linked to the investigation by former FBI director Robert Mueller into president Donald Trump.
Jenner & Block and WilmerHale were both targeted by the orders which sought, among other things, to suspend security clearances for the firms' lawyers, and restrict employees from accessing federal buildings.
The firms said previously that the orders, part of numerous similar actions taken by the president recently, amount to an assault on the foundations of the legal system and are unconstitutional retaliation by the president.
In his Friday ruling on the Jenner & Block case, U.S. District Judge John Bates described part of the order directed at the firm’s pro bono representation of transgender individuals and immigrants as “disturbing.”
"Our legal system relies on our lawyers who advocate zealously for all clients," the judge said.
Bates also blocked portions of the order that sought to cancel federal contracts held by the firm's clients and restrict the access of its lawyers to federal buildings.
Separately, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon agreed that Trump's order targeting WilmerHale was retaliatory.
Like Bates, Leon granted the firm's request to block parts of the directive intended to restrict its access to U.S. government buildings and officials. However, he denied WilmerHale's request to block a section that suspended security clearances held by any lawyers at the firm.
"The injuries to the plaintiff here would be severe and would spill over to its clients and the justice system at large. The public interest demands protecting against harms of this magnitude,” Leon wrote.
It comes after both firms filed federal complaints on Friday, saying that the orders violated the Constitution's protections for free expression and due process, and were meant to punish opposition to Trump and his administration.
“Our Constitution, top to bottom, forbids attempts by the government to punish citizens and lawyers based on the clients they represent, the positions they advocate, the opinions they voice, and the people with whom they associate," said the complaint from Jenner & Block.
The firms wrote that the orders have already affected their business, with Jenner & Block saying that one client has been notified by the Justice Department that the firm cannot attend a meeting at the building next week.
Both WilmerHale and Jenner & Block have ties to lawyers who were involved in former Special Counsel Mueller's investigation during Trump's first term in office. The investigation examined potential collusion between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russian actors, as well as Moscow's interference in that year's election.
Trump has called the investigation a "witch hunt."
The White House said in a statement Friday that law firms had "weaponized the legal process to try to punish and jail their political opponents."
Following Friday’s ruling by Leon, WilmerHale said in a statement: "We appreciate the court's swift action to preserve our clients' right to counsel and acknowledgement of the unconstitutional nature of the executive order and its chilling effect on the legal system."
Reuters contributed to this report.
