Overview
- After moving Monday to voluntarily dismiss its appeals, the Justice Department within about 24 hours asked to withdraw that request and continue the cases, offering no public explanation.
- Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner & Block, and Susman Godfrey previously won rulings from four federal judges who found the executive orders unconstitutional under the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments.
- The challenged directives sought to suspend attorneys’ security clearances, bar access to federal buildings, and threaten federal contracting for the firms and their clients.
- The four firms objected to DOJ’s about-face, and the appeals court has not yet ruled on the government’s bid to proceed as briefing deadlines approach.
- Separate settlements by nine other major firms remain in place, with roughly $940 million in pro bono commitments that critics say reflect a continuing chill on the legal industry.