Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor, believes that court decisions like the one made on Friday will keep happening again and again. That day, a judge rejected one of Donald Trump’s executive orders, which had targeted the law firm Jenner & Block. The judge said the order was unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and expression.
Weissmann, who used to work at Jenner & Block and was also part of Robert Mueller’s team investigating Trump’s 2016 campaign, explained that this ruling helps people understand the bigger picture. According to him, it’s becoming clear how the Trump administration is using its power to punish people or organizations it disagrees with.
Judge John D. Bates, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, wrote in his decision that Trump’s executive order clearly went after Jenner & Block because of the clients the firm chooses to represent, the causes it supports, and a specific lawyer who used to work there. In other words, Trump singled them out for political reasons, not for any neutral or legal reason.
This isn’t the first time a judge has stopped Trump from trying to punish law firms he doesn’t like. In recent weeks, another similar case happened. Because of these kinds of executive actions, some law firms have tried to stay on Trump’s good side by making deals with him. But this strategy has caused problems inside the firms, with some lawyers and partners quitting because they don’t want to be part of that.
Speaking on MSNBC, Weissmann said he was happy with the judge’s decision and connected it to another recent ruling that blocked the Trump administration from preventing Harvard University from enrolling foreign students. That case was also decided based on a violation of the First Amendment. Weissmann said this pattern is likely to continue and that people shouldn’t think of these incidents as isolated. Instead, he warned that they show a bigger trend of the government abusing its power and breaking important constitutional rules.
He said it’s striking how often the U.S. government under Trump is being found guilty of violating the First Amendment — not just once or twice, but in serious ways that affect major law firms and top universities like Harvard.
