Perkins Coie LLP v. U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Action No. 25-716 (BAH). On May 2, 2025, Howell issued a memorandum opinion granting the firm’s motion for summary judgment and permanent injunctive relief and denying the government’s motion to dismiss. The caption names Executive Order 14230 (March 6, 2025), “Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP.”
The opinion opens with Shakespeare’s “kill all the lawyers” line from Henry VI, Part 2, and states: “Eliminating lawyers as the guardians of the rule of law removes a major impediment to the path to more power.” The court treated EO 14230 as an unlawful retaliation against a law firm for protected advocacy and speech. That is the district court’s holding. An appeal to the D.C. Circuit was later reported as pending. A permanent injunction is not a Supreme Court decision.
Washington Times coverage of the opinion is reporting. The PDF is the primary.