by Staff Report
HARTFORD, CT — Attorney General William Tong has joined 20 attorneys general in an amicus brief in support of the law firm Susman Godfrey, which is challenging what Tong called an unconstitutional presidential order issued as retribution against the firm for representing clients following the 2020 election and defending the integrity of that election.
The order, similar to others targeting specific law firms for who they’ve represented, violates the firm’s rights to free speech, due process, and other constitutional protections, Tong said.
“This executive order was a chilling attempt to bully the legal professional into silence and submission, and yet another lawless attempt to exact political revenge on those who defended the integrity of the 2020 election,” Tong said. “The relationship between attorney and client is at the heart of our system of justice, and our courts must unequivocally end these illegal attacks.”
Tong’s office said President Donald Trump has issued four executive orders retaliating against law firms whose advocacy, clients, and staff he dislikes. These orders require federal officials to suspend any active security clearances held by the law firms’ workers, to refuse to engage with or hire employees of these firms, and to deny the law firms’ personnel entry to federal buildings.
The orders also direct federal contractors to disclose any business with the law firms so that agencies can terminate any such contracts. Four courts that have reviewed those orders found they are likely unconstitutional.
Susman Godfrey, a law firm with an office in Seattle, was named in one of these retaliatory executive orders in early April. Susman obtained temporary injunctive relief earlier this month and is now asking a judge to permanently block the executive order against it.
The coalition was led by the attorneys general from Washington, Illinois, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Joining them in filing the briefs were Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.