NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund Amicus Brief in Support of Plaintiff

Key Excerpts

• The [Executive] Order tramples core constitutional principles, strikes at the heart of the legal profession, and would eviscerate access to justice for litigants disfavored by the government. Lawyers are supposed to represent clients without fear or favor, especially the fear or favor of the government.
• If allowed to stand, this EO will irreparably diminish the independence of the private bar. Indeed, if lawyers are forced to pick clients and choose cases out of desire to stay in the Executive Branch’s good graces, the rule of law and the constitutional order it undergirds will crumble.
• In short, the EO interferes with the attorney-client relationship in two distinct, but equally chilling ways: it punishes the law firm for clients it represented, and then chills future attorney-client relationships by making clear that new clients that work with Perkins Coie will have a target on their back.