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NJ Leads 20-State Coalition Condemning Law Firms' Compliance with Trump’s Executive Orders
Attorneys General urge legal community to resist political pressure, defend rule of law amid Trump Administration's alleged retaliatory actions
NEW JERSEY — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has joined with 19 other state attorneys general in issuing an open letter to the legal community denouncing what they characterize as unconstitutional executive orders by President Donald Trump targeting law firms for disfavored advocacy. The letter also expresses disappointment with several prominent law firms that have allegedly complied with the administration’s demands, rather than opposing what the coalition deems a threat to core constitutional principles.
“The President’s unconstitutional attempts to target lawyers and law firms pose a grave threat to the rule of law. That’s why I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the law firms that have fought back against these threats instead of surrendering to the President’s unlawful demands,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Cutting unaccountable deals in response to the President’s threats is deeply damaging to the legal profession, and it is deeply damaging to the rule of law. It is not too late for these law firms to join the many other courageous lawyers who have stepped up and joined with us to fight back against President Trump’s outrageous abuse of power.”
Co-authored by the attorneys general of Colorado, Delaware, and Illinois, the letter asserts that President Trump’s executive orders violate the First Amendment by retaliating against protected speech and association, and by discriminating based on viewpoint. According to the signatories, the orders also undermine due process, interfere with the right to counsel, and signal a broader erosion of the rule of law.
The letter was issued in response to reported agreements between certain major law firms and the Trump Administration, in which the firms have allegedly committed to provide free legal services to support administration initiatives. While some firms have reportedly acquiesced, the letter praises four major law firms — Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey — that have filed legal challenges against the executive orders. These firms have obtained temporary court injunctions blocking the enforcement of the orders.
Attorney General Platkin and the coalition states have filed amicus briefs in support of these legal challenges, positioning themselves alongside hundreds of legal organizations, former judges, law professors, and general counsels from major companies who have backed the lawsuits.
The coalition's message to the legal community is unequivocal: reject political coercion and defend the independence of the legal profession. The letter invites firms across the country to stand with those resisting the executive orders and to reaffirm their commitment to upholding constitutional values.
The letter was signed by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia, in addition to the four states that led the effort.
