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N.J. Leads Coalition Opposing Executive Orders Targeting Law Firms Over Advocacy Work
Matthew Platkin joins 20 attorneys general in backing lawsuits against federal actions they argue violate constitutional protections and threaten access to legal services.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin is co-leading a coalition of 21 state attorneys general in filing amicus briefs supporting two law firms challenging executive orders issued during the Trump administration that allegedly retaliated against the firms for their advocacy work and clientele.
The legal briefs, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, back Jenner & Block LLP and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP in their lawsuits — Jenner & Block LLP v. U.S. Department of Justice and WilmerHale v. Executive Office of the President. The firms previously obtained temporary injunctive relief and are now seeking permanent injunctions to block the executive orders.
“Targeting law firms and attorneys for doing their jobs and representing their clients is outrageous, unprecedented, and unconstitutional. It is also deeply damaging to our democracy. We will proudly stand with the lawyers and law firms who refuse to back down in the face of these blatantly unconstitutional threats,” said Attorney General Platkin. “President Trump’s unlawful executive orders seek to intimidate lawyers into never crossing him in court or otherwise. But the President and his team will not intimidate us. We are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the law firms that have chosen to call out these abhorrent executive orders instead of capitulating and cutting backroom deals with the Trump Administration.”
According to the filings, the executive orders in question directed federal agencies to suspend active security clearances held by employees of the targeted law firms, refuse to hire or engage with individuals affiliated with them, deny their personnel access to federal facilities, and require government contractors to report any business conducted with these firms—potentially leading to contract terminations.
Attorney General Platkin, along with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, led the coalition. Additional participating states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
The coalition argues that the executive actions represent a misuse of presidential power, undermining the independence of the legal profession and violating constitutional protections. In the amicus briefs, the attorneys general stress the importance of legal professionals being able to represent controversial or disfavored causes without fear of governmental retaliation.
They further contend that the orders may restrict access to legal representation, particularly for vulnerable populations who depend on pro bono legal services—thereby harming residents in their respective states.
The filings reflect a broader concern over preserving the rule of law and preventing the politicization of the legal process by executive action. The lawsuits continue to proceed in federal court, where plaintiffs are pursuing permanent judicial relief from the contested orders.
