Kaiser PLLC Files D.C. Circuit Amicus Brief on Behalf of 19 Nongovernmental Organizations in Support of Law Firms Targeted by Executive Orders
On April 3, 2026, Kaiser PLLC filed an amicus brief on behalf of 19 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Perkins Coie LLP v. Dep’t of Justice et al. (Case No. 25-5241), pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The amicus brief supports the four appellee law firms—Perkins Coie LLP, Jenner & Block LLP, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey LLP—that were targeted by Executive Orders last year and perceived as adversarial to the Trump Administration’s agenda.
The amicus brief argues that the Executive Orders infringe upon the NGOs’ First Amendment rights by discouraging them from engaging legal counsel who may be disfavored by the government, thereby undermining both free speech and free association. They also warn that the Orders represent a dangerous escalation in executive overreach—threatening the rule of law and setting a precedent that could silence advocacy across the political spectrum.
Last year, Kaiser submitted amicus briefs at the district court level in support of each of the four law firms. Those can be found here (Perkins), here (Jenner), here (Wilmer), and here (Susman). All four judges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the firms and enjoined the challenged orders. The government has appealed all of those rulings.
The D.C. Circuit amicus brief is available here.
