Law Students Getting In On The Amicus Brief Action Challenging Trump Executive Order

When Donald Trump decided to attack Biglaw firms through a series of (likely unconstitutional) Executive Orders designed to extract a financial penalty for earning his displeasure and refusing to bend a knee, he was going after the rule of law, not just the firms targeted. So when firms have decided to fight the EOs — Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey filed lawsuits challenging the orders — it sparked the interest of many in the legal community. In the Perkins case alone (the oldest of the cases), 23 amicus briefs have been filed — law firms, former judges, former national security advisors, solo practitioners, in-house counsel, law professors, media organizations, NGOs, NAACP Legal Defense fund, bar associations, attorneys general have all signed onto briefs that support the challenge to the EO. Even though it’s disappointing many Biglaw firms haven’t answered the call, there’s still overwhelming support.

Despite the wide-ranging amicus in the Perkins case, as the cases pile up there are even more folks who want to have their voices heard. The law firm of Kline & Specter is circulating a draft amicus brief in the Susman Godfrey case on behalf of law students, arguing, “Unless enjoined by the Court, the orders will cause enduring damage to the legal profession and amici as America’s future lawyers.”

As the brief says:

Left alone, the executive order signals a transformation of our legal system. The rules don’t matter anymore. Neither does due process. What matters is being in the good graces of those in power. One might wonder whether law even will matter when amici graduate. Which begs a question: If law doesn’t matter, why should anyone become a lawyer in the first place?

Maybe more Biglaw firms should listen to what the kids are saying.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.

The post Law Students Getting In On The Amicus Brief Action Challenging Trump Executive Order appeared first on Above the Law.