The Daily Fuckup

A federal judge on Friday, May 23, 2025, permanently blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Jenner & Block, saying the White House could not use the government’s power to punish the firm for the clients it represents, the cases it takes, and the lawyers it hires. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates granted summary judgment to Jenner & Block and entered a permanent injunction against enforcement of the order. ([law.justia.com](https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/district-of-columbia/dcdce/1%3A2025cv00916/278932/138/))

Bates wrote that the order singled out the firm for its speech and associations, making it unconstitutional retaliation and viewpoint discrimination. The opinion said the executive order could not be salvaged by its references to security clearances, contracting, discrimination, or access to federal facilities, and described the government’s stated justifications as insufficient to cover the order’s First Amendment problems. ([law.justia.com](https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/district-of-columbia/dcdce/1%3A2025cv00916/278932/138/))

The ruling came after earlier interim relief in the case, which had kept the order on hold while the court considered the merits. It also followed a separate law-firm decision issued on May 2, 2025, when U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell granted summary judgment and declaratory and permanent injunctive relief in the Perkins Coie case. That earlier date matters: the Perkins Coie ruling was May 2, and the Jenner & Block ruling was May 23. ([law.justia.com](https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/district-of-columbia/dcdce/1%3A2025cv00916/278932/138/))

The White House order against Jenner & Block had been signed on March 25, 2025. It accused the firm of harmful pro bono work, partisan representations, and other conduct the administration said cut against national interests. Bates concluded that those attacks on the firm’s advocacy were exactly what the First Amendment forbids the government from punishing. ([whitehouse.gov](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/addressing-risks-from-jenner-block/))