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Susman Godfrey wins against Trump [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-06-28
Four firms have fought back against Trump's illegal executive orders and now four have won. Trump's executive order targeting Susman Godfrey is now null and void.
Susman Godfrey now joins the other winners, Perkins Coie, WilmerHale and Jenner & Block.
U.S. District Court Judge Loren Alikhan ruled that the executive order was unconstitutional and must be permanently blocked.
Why did Trump go after Susman Godfrey? They think it was because they represented Dominion Voting Systems in their defamation lawsuit against Fox News, getting that $787 million judgement against Fox.
The court ordered that all agencies be notified of the reversal and security clearances to be reinstated, and contracts to be restarted.
The Attorney General and the DOJ were also told to "provide a copy of this Order to all Defendants and direct the recipients to comply with the terms of this order... They are bound by the Court's order, under penalty of contempt." That's the first time, I think, in these cases that the threat of contempt was put into the order.
Judge Alikhan wrote, "The order was one in a series attacking firms that had taken positions with which President Trump disagreed. In the ensuing months, every court to have considered a challenge to one of these orders has found grave constitutional violations and permanently enjoined enforcement of the order in full. Today, this court follows suit, concluding the order targeting Susman violates the U.S. Constitution and must be permanently be enjoined."
In a statement following the victory, Susman Godfrey said, "The Court's ruling is a resounding victory for the rule of law and the right of every American to be represented by legal counsel without fear of retaliation. We applaud the Court for declaring the administration's order unconstitutional. Our firm is committed to the rule of law and to protecting the rights of our clients without regard to their political or other beliefs."
The Trump administration has not pursued appeals in the reversals of Perkins Coie, WilmerHale and Jenner & Block. When each Judge has said the orders are all blatantly unconstitutional, Attorney General Pam Bondi must have figured out that she met her match. Expect no appeal in this case as well.
Many experts think the deals Trump made with law firms that capitulated are invalid because they were made under duress. Hongju Koh, a professor and former dean at Yale Law School said, "You know, a contract you make with a gun to your head is not a contract." Firms that gave in are losing lawyers who decided the firms were not standing up for the rule of law. Clients left because if a law firm representing them would not defend their firm, how could they defend them as clients?
On a day where so much was lost with the Supreme Court decision effectively blocking nationwide injunctions, there was one bright spot in the world of jurisprudence. Notice that there have been no further executive orders against other law firms.
Trump lost here resoundingly. May the 303 cases showing up on the Just Security Litigation Tracker today against the Trump administration find a path to victory under these new circumstances.
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