Trump is intimidating attorneys into silence, former Starbucks, GAP lawyers
Many corporate attorneys are too afraid of the Trump administration to speak out, lawyers who once worked for The GAP, Starbucks, Ely Lilly and many other companies have told a judge.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has signed executive orders against three law firms he accuses of disloyalty. He has stripped them of federal contracts and blocked their security clearance for federal buildings.
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A group of over 60 senior lawyers now alleges in a court filing that there is a pervading atmosphere of fear in corporate America, with many attorneys too intimidated to protest the Trump administration’s policies.
Newsweek sought email comment from the Justice Department and Perkins Coie on Wednesday.
What To Know
On March 6, Trump canceled federal clearance for employees of major league law firm Perkins Coie and ordered federal agencies to cancel contracts with them.
Trump’s order cited the law firm’s links to his 2016 Democratic political rival, Hillary Clinton.
His order also attacked the firm’s diversity hiring practices.
Perkins Coie is now suing in a Washington, D.C. court to have Trump’s order lifted.
On April 8, a group of more than 60 current and former general counsels for major corporations filed an amicus or ‘friend of the court’ brief on behalf of Perkins Coie.
In it, the lawyers warned that many current corporate attorneys were too afraid of Trump to put their names to the amicus brief.
“The chilling effect is real. The composition of amici, predominantly former rather than current general counsel, demonstrates the Executive Order’s swift, powerful, and intimidating influence on the legal profession and business community,” they wrote.
They claim in their filing that Trump is using his orders against law firms “as a blueprint for retribution and intimidation, with three additional major law firms now the targets of essentially identical orders.”
Those who signed the filing include David Anderson, former general counsel of delivery company Airborne Express; Robert A. Armitage, former general counsel of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly; Michelle Banks, former global general counsel of clothing retailer The Gap; Matthew Broad, former general counsel of office supplies company OfficeMax; and Lucy Lee Helm, former general counsel of Starbucks Coffee.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump‘s March 6 order states: “”The dishonest and dangerous activity of the law firm Perkins Coie LLP has affected this country for decades. Notably, in 2016 while representing failed Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Perkins Coie hired Fusion GPS, which then manufactured a false ‘dossier’ designed to steal an election.”
A Perkins Coie spokesperson said in a statement on March 7: “We have reviewed the Executive Order. It is patently unlawful, and we intend to challenge it.”
What Happens Next
The Washington, D.C. court will rule on Perkins Coie’s request for a preliminary injunction, which would strike out Trump’s executive order.
