Donald Trump has made no secret out of wanting to use all levers of power against those whom he feels wronged him or who were involved in exposing his Big Lie.
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A federal judge on Wednesday froze parts of the executive order that Donald Trump wants to use to punish a law firm that did work for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and was involved in commissioning the controversial “Steele Dossier.”
One part of the order tries to keep lawyers of the firm from entering federal buildings, and another directs federal agencies to require contractors to disclose whether they are doing business with the law firm, Perkins Coie.
This has already caused the firm to lose clients and money, it asserted in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday that called the order an “affront to the Constitution and our adversarial system of justice.”
According to the lawsuit, the order has the potential to “jeopardize the firm’s long-term health,” which is surely what Trump intends.
He has made no secret out of wanting to use all levers of power against those whom he feels wronged him or who were involved in exposing his Big Lie. Trump also left no doubt that this would include lawyers.
However, Judge Beryl Howell found that the parts of the order mentioned above will likely be found to be unconstitutional and therefore temporarily blocked them until a full ruling can be made.
“I am sure that many in the profession are watching in horror at what Perkins Coie is going through,” she said during a contentious hearing, adding that what Trump is doing “sends little chills down [her] spine.”
The judge stated that she believes the president’s action was intended to “intimidate” lawyers and get them to think twice before representing clients whom Trump views as his adversaries. However, neither his animosity toward the firm or its clients justifies the issuing of an executive order that appears to violate not only the First but also the Sixth Amendment.
Perkins Coie had only asked the court to review the three of six parts of the executive order that the firm believes will cause the “most immediate” harm.
“Today’s decision granting our motion for a temporary restraining order is an important first step in ensuring this unconstitutional Executive Order is never enforced,” the firm stated in response to Howell’s ruling. “We will follow the court’s direction regarding next steps and will continue to challenge the Executive Order, which threatens our firm, our clients, and core constitutional protections important to all Americans.”
It seems unlikely that the ruling will keep Trump from abusing his powers to go after his perceived adversaries. Since taking the oath of office, he has taken a number of vindictive steps, such as pulling the security details of those who spoke out against him or threatening media organizations critical of his actions.
