Catching Up: Trump's Executive Orders Against Law Firms Spark a Backlash
A series of executive orders targeting prominent law firms associated with past investigations of him has sparked a legal and political firestorm.
Photo: Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Overview
Date: March 28–30, 2025
Topic: Trump Targets Law Firms Tied to Investigations, Faces Legal Pushback
Summary: President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders targeting prominent law firms associated with past investigations of him, sparking a legal and political firestorm. Some firms, such as Skadden and Paul Weiss, opted to settle by pledging tens of millions in pro bono work aligned with Trump’s priorities. Others, including Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Perkins Coie, filed lawsuits and won temporary restraining orders halting portions of the executive actions. The orders included revoking security clearances, banning access to government facilities, and threatening the firms’ clients’ federal contracts. The legal community remains divided, with some seeing the settlements as capitulations and others framing the lawsuits as necessary defenses of constitutional principles. Trump's broader campaign includes actions against academia, media, and independent government oversight, raising alarms about executive overreach and institutional erosion.
Sources
The New York Times: Trump Suffers Day of Losses in His Retribution Campaign Against Law Firms
CNN: Trump is using the power of government to punish opponents. They’re struggling to respond
NBC News: Trump targets lawyers who he says file 'frivolous' lawsuits against his administration
NBC News: Trump quickly works to concentrate power and muzzle critical voices
The Washington Post: Judges block Trump penalties for two law firms as he strikes deal with third
Wall Street Journal: Two Law Firms Sue Trump Administration Over Executive Orders, Another Cuts a Deal
Note: I could not find any non-opinion, non-video coverage of this unfolding story on Fox News during the past week. The Newsie Project, as a rule, does not consider video content or opinion-section articles or columns.
Key Points
Trump issued executive orders punishing law firms connected to investigations into him, including Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, Perkins Coie, Covington & Burling, and Paul Weiss.
Actions included revoking security clearances, restricting access to federal buildings, and threatening clients’ federal contracts.
Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Perkins Coie filed lawsuits and received temporary injunctions from federal judges, citing likely First Amendment violations.
Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps settled with the Trump administration, agreeing to provide $40M and $100M, respectively, in pro bono work aligned with Trump’s initiatives.
The legal industry is divided: some firms resist, others capitulate, and many remain silent out of fear of becoming targets.
Broader concerns include executive overreach, chilling legal advocacy, and undermining the independence of institutions such as the judiciary and press.
Unique Highlights
The New York Times reported the letter from nearly 400 Skadden public interest alumni urging firm leadership to resist Trump’s interference.
CNN highlighted that Paul Clement, a prominent conservative attorney, is leading WilmerHale’s legal fight and revealed client assurances played a key role in the firms' decisions to sue.
NBC News uniquely emphasized the DOJ’s expanded authority to penalize attorneys. It detailed a new presidential memorandum authorizing sanctions against firms filing “frivolous” lawsuits and highlighted Trump ally Steve Bannon’s explicit goal to “bankrupt” targeted firms.
NBC News also uniquely reported on Trump’s broader institutional crackdown, including action against universities and cultural institutions like the Kennedy Center.
CNN highlighted concerns over law firms’ client loss due to reputational damage and internal debates over litigation versus settlement.
The New York Times described Skadden Arps’ $100 million settlement and compared it to Paul Weiss’s earlier $40 million deal.
The Washington Post cited specific language in executive orders condemning law firms' pro bono work as "harmful," which federal judges found disturbing.
The Wall Street Journal noted that Trump framed the Skadden deal as a settlement that included merit-based hiring and ideological neutrality pledges.
The Washington Post shared that Jenner already lost access to a DOJ meeting due to the executive order, showing immediate business impact.
Contrasting Details
While The New York Times emphasized Trump’s strategic use of settlements to avoid lawsuits, CNN and NBC News described deep unease in the legal field, portraying the settlements as capitulations under duress.
CNN noted conservative legal figures challenging Trump, while NBC News and The Washington Post stressed Trump’s continued support within parts of the legal and political establishment.
NBC News and CNN presented broader contexts of institutional targeting (media, universities), whereas The Wall Street Journal focused primarily on the legal industry impact.
NBC News and CNN described the pro bono settlements as forced or extorted, while The Wall Street Journal reported Skadden’s perspective that the outcome was in the “best interests” of the firm and its clients.
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