It is the fifth law firm targeted by the POTUS in a crusade against his legal and political enemies
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Global firm WilmerHale has been accused of racial discrimination in a proclamation issued yesterday by US President Donald Trump, reported Reuters.
It is the fifth firm to be targeted by Trump in his crusade against major law firms with ties to his legal and political opponents, following his issuance of executive orders against Perkins Coie, Covington & Burling, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, and Jenner and Block.
The proclamation highlighted WilmerHale’s connections to former US special counsel Robert Mueller, who oversaw the investigation of Russian contacts during Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2016 and was with the firm until his retirement in 2021. The order also claimed that the firm provided free legal aid to what it described as “destructive” immigration and voting causes.
Trump’s proclamation revokes security clearances for the firm’s lawyers and limited their access to government officials. It also called for a review intended to cut off WilmerHale clients’ federal contracts.
Currently, the firm is acting for a group of inspectors general accusing the Trump administration of ousting them illegally.
In a statement, WilmerHale said that the order was unlawful and that it would pursue “all appropriate remedies.” A spokesperson for the firm pointed out that a similar order had already been shot down by a judge; on March 12, US District Judge Beryl Howell blocked some provisions in Trump’s order against Perkins Coie after the firm said the order breached the US Constitution. Howell also granted Perkins Coie a temporary restraining order against Trump’s executive order.
Meanwhile, Paul Weiss responded to the order against it by agreeing to a deal with Trump that would see the firm providing US$40 million worth of free legal work to causes backed by the current US administration.
According to Reuters, Mueller could not be reached for comment, while the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this month, the American Bar Association spoke out against the government’s intimidation tactics against the judiciary and members of the legal profession. The Federation of Law Societies of Canada also voiced its support for those who were challenging the US government’s threats against judicial independence.
