Judge overturns executive order targeting WilmerHale, dealing latest setback to Trump’s efforts to retaliate against major law firms.

A federal judge on Tuesday struck down an executive order signed earlier this year by President Donald Trump that targeted the prestigious law firm WilmerHale, marking the latest legal blow to Trump’s efforts to penalize firms linked to his political opponents.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, issued a 73-page preliminary injunction that blocks enforcement of the order, calling it unconstitutional. The ruling is the third in Washington, D.C., this month to reject Trump’s attempts to sanction law firms that employed individuals he views as adversaries or that represented clients who challenged his policies.

Trump’s order had barred WilmerHale attorneys from entering federal buildings, suspended their security clearances, and penalized clients of the firm with federal contracts. Leon criticized the order as an excessive and unlawful retaliation for the firm’s protected legal activity.

“Any one of those sanctions would cause clients to strongly reconsider their engagements with WilmerHale,” the judge wrote. “Taken together, the provisions constitute a staggering punishment for the firm’s protected speech! The Order is intended to, and does in fact, impede the firm’s ability to effectively represent its clients!”

Leon concluded that the order violated WilmerHale’s First Amendment rights and its right to due process.

WilmerHale, one of Washington’s most prominent law firms, is known for its involvement in high-profile political and legal matters. It was the former workplace of special counsel Robert Mueller, who led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The firm has also represented Twitter (now X, owned by Elon Musk) in recent legal battles and is often involved in major congressional and DOJ investigations.

After WilmerHale filed a legal challenge, Judge Leon swiftly suspended most elements of the executive order.

The Trump administration had claimed in the order that WilmerHale had “abandoned the profession’s highest ideals” and used its pro bono work to “undermine justice and the interests of the United States,” specifically citing Mueller’s past affiliation with the firm.

Tuesday’s decision follows two similar rulings in the same courthouse. Judge John Bates recently struck down another Trump order aimed at the firm Jenner & Block, which also has ties to Mueller, while earlier this month a third judge blocked enforcement of an order targeting Perkins Coie, another prominent law firm often associated with Democratic causes.