Meanwhile, five more firms inked deals with the US president
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
US litigation firm Susman Godfrey has become the fourth law firm to sue US President Donald Trump over his executive orders targeting firms that have either opposed him or backed his opponents in the past, reported Reuters.
The firm filed the suit in Washington on Friday, saying in a statement published by Reuters that if the orders were permitted to stand, “future presidents will face no constraint when they seek to retaliate against a different set of perceived foes.” The suit claimed that Trump’s orders breached constitutional rights and that he was retaliating against the firm, which had acted for Dominion Voting Systems on defamation cases arising from his allegations that the 2020 US election was rigged.
As in previous executive orders, Trump blocked Susman Godfrey’s access to government buildings and officials; he also threatened to cut off the federal contracts of the firm’s clients.
“The executive order targeting Susman Godfrey is unconstitutional and retaliatory. No administration should be allowed to punish lawyers for simply doing their jobs, protecting Americans and their constitutional right to the legal process. But this goes far beyond law firms and lawyers. Today it is our firm under attack, but tomorrow it could be any of us. As officers of the court, we are duty-bound to take on this fight against the illegal executive order,” Susman Godfrey said in a statement on its website.
On the same day, over 800 law firms and lawyers signed onto a court brief that backed those challenging the orders in court. Moreover, the attorneys general of 20 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia filed briefs suggesting that the Trump’s moves could complicate the process of securing legal representation for vulnerable groups, Reuters said.
By contrast, five other firms targeted by Trump orders opted to ink deals. The US president said on Truth Social said that Kirkland & Ellis, A&O Shearman, Simpson Thacher and Latham & Watkins each pledged US$125 million in pro bono work; meanwhile, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft pledged at least US$100 million. In total, Trump has amassed US$940 million worth of free legal services from BigLaw firms.
Subsequently, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission pulled back on a probe into Kirkland, A&O Shearman, Simpson Thacher and Latham’s employment practices, the US president said on Friday. The deals with Trump would not affect Kirkland and Simpson Thacher’s oversight in existing pro bono cases, stated Kirkland's executive committee and Simpson Thacher chairman Alden Millard in internal memos accessed by Reuters.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Susman Godfrey’s lawsuit. Spokespeople for Kirkland, A&O Shearman, Simpson Thacher, Latham, and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
