Los Angeles County Bar Association Signs Amicus Brief Supporting Perkins Coie
The association's joint filing supports law firm's motion for summary judgement in response to an executive order targeting the firm.
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, April 9, 2025 / EINPresswire.com / -- Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) has joined bar associations across the United States in filing an Amicus Curiae Brief in support of Perkins Coie LLP's motion for summary judgement in response to an executive order that targets the firm. LACBA, along with 13 other metropolitan, regional, and specialty groups, argues that the executive order undermines the independence of the legal profession and the judiciary, which, ultimately, threatens the rule of law.
The amicus brief was filed with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Washington D.C., on April 7, 2025.
The executive orders retaliate against Perkins Coie LLC for representing political opponents of the President, causing financial losses and damaging reputations. This coercion aims to turn all law firms into instruments of the executive branch, compromising their ability to represent clients independently.
An independent bar is essential for the proper functioning of the judicial system, as it ensures vigorous representation and the adversarial testing of arguments. Historical examples from Germany and Russia illustrate how eroding the independence of the legal profession leads to authoritarianism.
The brief was drafted by the bar associations' counsel, Professor Jeannie Suk Gersen, and signed by the following:
Boston Bar Association
Brehon Law Societies of New York City and Nassau County
Chicago Bar Association
Denver Bar Association
Bar Association of Erie County
King County Bar Association (Seattle)
Los Angeles County Bar Association
Metropolitan Black Bar Association
Monroe County Bar Association
Muslim Bar Association of New York
New York City Bar Association
Philadelphia Bar Association
San Diego County Bar Association
Women's Bar Association of the State of New York
LACBA signed on to the Amici Curiae brief as part of upholding its mission to advance the administration of justice, which includes upholding the rule of law, promoting impartiality, and supporting the independence of the legal profession.
Amicus curiae translates to 'friend of the court' in Latin. It is a legal document submitted by a third party not directly involved in the case to provide additional information, expertise, or a different perspective to a court, especially in appellate cases.
About LACBA
LACBA was founded in 1878 and is one of the largest voluntary metropolitan bar associations in the country. LACBA serves legal professionals through its many sections, committees, networking events, live and on-demand CLE programs, and pro bono opportunities. For more information on LACBA, visit lacba.org.
Catherine Jackson
Los Angeles County Bar Association
+1 213-896-6558
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While their names have never been made public, the Russian House director was presumably among them. 'They forced us to leave,' the Сenter wrote in its final Facebook post, noting that Russian House cannot operate without a director. Romania acted similarly. In early 2023, the Romanian foreign ministry set a six-months deadline for Russian House in Bucharest to shut down. A few weeks before the deadline, Romania expelled 40 Russian embassy staff, forcing Russian House to suspend its operations. (A similar tactic failed in Moldova. In August 2023, Moldova expelled the head of the Russian House in Chisinau along with 44 Russian diplomats, after The Insider reported on an espionage case involving antennas mounted on the roof of the Russian Embassy. Shortly thereafter, Russia replaced him with a new acting director Artyom Naumenkov and Russian House continued its work. The Kyiv Independent tried to contact Naumenkov, but he declined our call, did not respond to the written questions and later hid his profile photos on Telegram.) Meanwhile, Azerbaijan swiftly shuttered the Russian House in Baku after a Russian air defense system shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane, killing 38 people. Amid deteriorating relations with Moscow, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry used the fact that Russian House was not registered as a legal entity to demand that it cease operations. Azerbaijan also required the center to vacate its building within a month and a half because the property was set to be sold. The Russian House in London simply never reopened after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Rossotrudnichestvo representative in the U.K. was denied a visa, leaving the сenter inactive. In Ukraine, efforts to close the Russian House in Kyiv were delayed for several years because Parliament needed to pass legislation terminating the intergovernmental agreement with Russia. Finally, in 2021, the government imposed sanctions on Rossotrudnichestvo. That shut down the center's activities without a parliamentary decision. But unlike Ukraine and many countries in Europe, the U.S. has not closed down Russian House or imposed sanctions on Rossotrudnichestvo. After a 1.5-year pause, the Russian Cultural Center in Washington resumed its activities in December 2022. The center had no issue holding celebrations marking the anniversary of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and has done so twice since 2022. It continues to demonstratively glorify Russian military aggression while the Trump administration tries to negotiate peace. While some of its visitors are members of the Russian diaspora, its events also attract Americans without connections to Russia. They include a handful of highly involved Americans from business, cultural circles, and academia, as well as philanthropists — some of whom were among the first to sponsor the Russian House at the time of its founding. They also formed the nonprofit Friends of the Russian Cultural Center to help raise funds for the Russian House and support the building's renovation in the late 1990s. Supporters of the center have portrayed it as a benign cultural initiative aimed at promoting understanding between Russians and Americans. But not everyone agrees. Activist Valuev says that the Russian Cultural Center's main goals include building connections and shaping U.S. public opinion in favor of the Kremlin. 'Businesses, religious groups, churches, cultural programs, education, exchange programs — all of it is used and weaponized by the Russian government,' he said. 'It's not a question of whether they use it. They do.' Read also: Exposed: The 'Stop Zelensky' protesters sowing Russian disinfo across Europe Hi, this is Linda, the author of this piece. I hope it sheds light on how Russian cultural diplomacy operates in the U.S. and Europe — and why understanding soft power tools matters. If you'd like to support our reporting, please consider becoming a member of The Kyiv Independent. We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
