Leading AGs Speak Out
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, who is co-leading the coalition with Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, called the executive orders “outrageous, unprecedented, and unconstitutional.”
“We proudly stand with law firms refusing to back down in the face of these threats,” Platkin said.
Raoul added:
“Attacking attorneys for representing disfavored clients threatens our First Amendment rights, right to counsel, and the independence of the judiciary.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James emphasized:
“No president has the power to punish law firms for doing their job. The right to counsel and free speech is foundational to our democracy.”
The 21 jurisdictions supporting the lawsuits are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Arizona, and Washington, D.C.
More than 500 law firms, including Covington & Burling, Munger Tolles & Olson, and Perkins Coie, have also filed supportive briefs. Some firms, such as Paul Weiss, have reached private settlements with the administration, but others — like Perkins Coie — are continuing their legal fight, securing temporary restraining orders in the process.
