Trump administration appeals ruling blocking Susman Godfrey executive order
By David Thomas
Aug 22 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration on Friday appealed a judge's decision that had struck down an executive order targeting law firm Susman Godfrey, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to weigh the fate of Trump's legal industry crackdown.
The government now has four related challenges pending before the appeals court, after four different judges ruled that Trump's respective executive orders aimed at law firms Perkins Coie; Jenner & Block; WilmerHale; and Susman Godfrey were unconstitutional.
The U.S. Justice Department's notice in Washington, D.C., federal court did not detail the legal arguments it used in its appeal. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Susman in a statement it will "fight the administration's unwarranted appeal and continue to defend the rights of our clients and our colleagues."
Trump's order had suspended security clearances for lawyers for each of the firms, and restricted their access to government buildings, officials and federal contracting work. He accused the firms of "weaponizing" the legal system against him and his allies through past cases and hires and said they engaged in employment discrimination.
Susman in its lawsuit called the executive order 'retaliation' for its defense of the integrity of the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
The firm represents election technology supplier Dominion Voting Systems in cases that challenged false claims that the election was stolen from Trump through widespread voting fraud.
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan in June ruled that Trump's order unlawfully retaliated against Susman for cases it has taken and its efforts to promote racial diversity, violating the firm's rights to free speech and due process of law under the U.S. Constitution.
Trump's executive order "goes beyond violating the Constitution and the laws of the United States," AliKhan wrote. "The order threatens the independence of the bar — a necessity for the rule of law."
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