The Justice Department accidentally told a court last week that it was abandoning its effort to revive President Donald Trump’s executive orders against four prominent law firms, according to an administration official.
DOJ made an “inadvertent filing” on March 2 when it requested to withdraw its appeal of four court rulings striking down Trump’s orders, the official told Bloomberg Law. The administration was considering dropping the appeal but had not made a final decision about whether to file the request, according to the official.
Within 24 hours of filing the dismissal request, a DOJ lawyer scrapped the withdrawal, a rare move that sparked confusion among the targeted law firms. The department on March 6 followed up with a brief defending Trump’s orders, arguing that judges who blocked them interfered with the president’s authority to address national security and other threats.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that DOJ changed course after Trump railed against the move, expressing anger at department leadership for backing down.
Trump’s orders accused Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey of weaponizing the legal system and engaging in discrimination, citing their connections to lawyers and causes the president views as adverse to him.
The orders threatened to pull security clearances held by the firms’ lawyers and kill government contracts held by the firms and their clients, as well as block their lawyers from entering government buildings. The firms won injunctions against the orders from four separate judges.
Reached for comment, the White House said Wednesday the president remains resolute in his commitment to discourage bad actors in the legal industry.
“President Trump will not waver on his commitment to ensure that government funds and access are not used to promote, subsidize, or encourage the weaponization of the legal system or unlawful discrimination,” said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman.
The firms are scheduled to file briefs by March 27. The Justice Department will have until April 10 to reply.
The case is Jenner and Block v. DOJ, D.C. Cir., 25-5265, 3/6/26
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