Two major law firms fighting President Trump’s assault on their business will appear in court on Wednesday with the aim of putting a decisive end to his retribution campaign against them.
The two firms, Perkins Coie and WilmerHale, have asked the courts to permanently block executive orders issued by Mr. Trump declaring them a national security risk, which curtails their ability to do high-level legal work. The firms, which have clients and employ lawyers whom Mr. Trump opposes politically, have argued that the orders are so blatantly unconstitutional that no trial is necessary.
The judges presiding over their cases, Beryl A. Howell and Richard J. Leon of the Federal District Court in Washington, are under no obligation to act immediately after the hearings on Wednesday. But the legal community is intensely interested in how these two cases proceed, after the president’s executive orders and threats caused a deep rift of the world of elite corporate firms.
“Simply put, blacklisting and sanctioning law firms for representing the president’s political opponents, devoting resources to causes the president dislikes or hiring attorneys who have investigated the president is anathema to our constitutional order,” attorneys representing WilmerHale wrote in a filing requesting the speedy resolution of the case.
The government has asked that the lawsuits be dismissed, arguing that the orders were all within the president’s authority, and an expression of political speech.
Perkins Coie and WilmerHale were singled out in March by Mr. Trump for punishment with individualized executive orders, owing largely to past legal work on behalf of clients opposing Mr. Trump and policies he had championed. Among other things, the orders directed federal agencies not to contract with the firms or permit their staff into federal buildings, and to suspend security clearances held by their attorneys.