Trump, in Abrupt Reversal, to Continue Fight Against Law Firms
The Trump administration has changed its mind about its decision to stop challenging damages it suffered in lawsuits filed over executive orders targeting the Big Four law firms.
The Justice Department moved Tuesday afternoon to withdraw its motion to voluntarily dismiss appeals of cases against Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Susman Godfrey and Jenner & Block.
The motion comes after the Justice Department on Tuesday sent an email to four law firms saying it would drop a motion to voluntarily dismiss the challenge less than 24 hours after saying it would drop the fight; A person familiar with the emails confirmed this. News of his comeback was first reported by the New York Times.
Law firms opposed the government’s application, with the Ministry of Justice saying in its motion: “The Plaintiffs-Appellants object to the government’s unexplained request to withdraw yesterday’s voluntary dismissal decision, which all parties accept. The government’s undisclosed course should not, under any circumstances, be a basis for extending its brief.”
However, the Department of Justice said that regardless of this position, the court has not yet granted the motion to dismiss and that “it is up to the Defendant-Appellants to pursue this objection.”
The Justice Department moved yesterday to withdraw its appeal of court orders blocking Trump’s executive orders last year against Perkins Coie, Jenner, WilmerHale and Susman Godfrey. EOs revoked lawyers’ security clearances, denied them access to federal buildings, and threatened their clients’ government contracts.
Federal judges quickly struck down the orders, ruling them unconstitutional in separate decisions, and the Justice Department sought to appeal.
In an email sent to four firms Tuesday morning, the Justice Department asked the firms to notify the Justice Department if they would oppose withdrawing the request for voluntary dismissal.
Representatives of the four law firms could not immediately be reached for comment. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The case is Jenner and Block LLP v. DOJ, DC Cir., No. 25-05265, 3/3/26.
To contact the reporter on this story: Meghan Tribe in New York at mtribe@bloomberglaw.com
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chris Opfer at copfer@bloombergindutry.com; John Hughes at jhughes@bloombergindustry.com; Alessandra Rafferty at arafferty@bloombergindustry.com
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text.
