Law professors, legal groups back Perkins Coie in lawsuit over Trump order

By Blake Brittain and Mike Scarcella

April 3 (Reuters) - More than 300 law professors and other legal groups submitted court briefs backing law firm Perkins Coie in its lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's executive order that punished the firm for its work for Hillary Clinton and its diversity policies.

Professors from dozens of U.S. law schools including Harvard, Yale and Stanford argued in their filing late on Wednesday that Trump's March 6 order targeting Perkins Coie is unconstitutional and threatens the integrity of the U.S. judicial system.

"Today, Perkins Coie has fallen into the President's disfavor. Tomorrow, it could be any one of us whose speech the President unilaterally deems antithetical to 'the interests of the United States' because that person or organization has chosen to litigate against him," the brief said.

The filing was part of a wave of "friend of the court" briefs from outside groups voicing alarm over the president's orders against Perkins Coie and other law firms.

In another brief, a coalition of advocacy groups across the ideological spectrum — including the American Civil Liberties Union and Cato Institute — denounced Trump's orders against Perkins Coie and other firms as "assaults on the bar" that threaten the ability of Americans to hire attorneys for important cases.

The White House in a statement said it was "absurd that a billion-dollar law firm is suing to retain its access to government perks and handouts." It has defended Trump's executive orders against law firms as "lawful directives to ensure that the President's agenda is implemented and that law firms comply with the law."

The Justice Department on Wednesday night asked a U.S. judge in Washington to dismiss Perkins Coie's lawsuit.

Trump's orders against Seattle-founded Perkins Coie and two rival firms — Jenner & Block and WilmerHale — sought to cancel federal contracts held by the firms' clients and to restrict access by their lawyers to federal buildings and officials.

Perkins Coie, Jenner and WilmerHale's lawsuits challenging executive orders against the firms are pending in Washington. Three U.S. judges have blocked key provisions in the orders targeting the firms.

Four other law firms — Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps, Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Milbank have struck deals with the White House to avoid similar sanctions.

The professors argued in their brief supporting Perkins Coie that Trump's campaign against the firms "dangles a Sword of Damocles over all those who refuse to place loyalty to the President above the interests of their clients and the law."

"If the order stands, it will be open season on lawyers who have dared to take on clients or causes the President or other officials don't like," the brief said.

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