N.J. attorney general joins multistate brief supporting law firms challenging Trump orders
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport has joined a coalition of attorneys general in filing a legal brief supporting law firms challenging a series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump.
The amicus brief, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, backs four law firms — Jenner & Block LLP, Perkins Coie LLP, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale LLP and Susman Godfrey LLP — in their challenge to the orders issued in 2025.
According to the filing, the executive orders imposed sanctions on the firms, including restrictions related to security clearances, federal hiring and access to government buildings. The orders also directed federal contractors to disclose business relationships with the firms.
“It is darkly ironic, frankly, that during America’s 250th anniversary, President Trump is continuing his crusade to rip apart the very foundations of the rule of law embedded in the Constitution,” said Attorney General Davenport. “The legal profession depends on attorneys being able to represent clients independent of political pressure. If this isn’t true, and law firms can’t practice without fear of being punished by the President, what remains of the rule of law? We must fight back.”
The attorneys general argue in the brief that the executive orders could have broader implications for access to legal services and the legal system. The filing states that lawyers must be able to represent clients without fear of government retaliation.
Lower federal courts have previously ruled on aspects of the executive orders, with judges finding constitutional concerns, including potential violations of First Amendment protections, according to the coalition.
The brief asks the appellate court to uphold those rulings.
Davenport co-led the coalition with attorneys general from Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington. Officials from multiple other states and the District of Columbia also joined the filing.
