Judge Uses 26 Exclamation Points to Express How Bad Trump Order Is

Yahoo

28-05-2025

The president's attack on Big Law is so outrageous that it's made at least one judge raise his voice, even on paper.
U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Richard Leon struck down Donald Trump's executive order targeting law firm WilmerHale Tuesday, describing the entire directive as 'unconstitutional.' In a 73-page opinion, Leon took the time to explain the principles of democracy to the president, illustrating how his political retribution campaign is quintessentially antithetical to the foundational principles of the U.S. government.
'The cornerstone of the American system of justice is an independent judiciary and an independent bar willing to tackle unpopular cases, however daunting. The Founding Fathers knew this!' Leon wrote. 'Accordingly, they took pains to enshrine in the Constitution certain rights that would serve as the foundation for that independence. Little wonder that in the nearly 250 years since the Constitution was adopted no Executive Order has been issued challenging these fundamental rights.'
'Now, however, several Executive Orders have been issued directly challenging these rights and that independence,' Leon continued. 'One of these Orders is the subject of this case. For the reasons set forth below, I have concluded that this Order must be struck down in its entirety as unconstitutional. Indeed, to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!'
It's highly unusual for judges to use even one exclamation point in their rulings. Leon used a total of 26.
The decision blocks Trump's March 27 order, which instructed federal agencies to throw out WilmerHale's government contracts and nix the firm's federal building access along with their security clearances. It was just one of many law firms targeted by the Trump administration for representing individuals that Trump has categorized as his political enemies, or for refusing to represent him during his monumental legal struggles last year. WilmerHale's supposed crime—per the White House—was the fact that they 'rewarded' Robert Mueller by keeping him on payroll after he investigated Trump's ties to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
But not every law firm was willing to ride out the wave of Trump's encroaching federal directives. Several major law firms had caved to Trump by April, committing to provide the convicted felon with up to $600 million in 'pro bono' legal services. But the original deal, as written, may not shake out for the famed dealmaker the way he'd hoped: earlier this month, several firms argued that the capitulation had only stipulated 'specified areas' that they needed to provide legal services for, effectively giving them free range to pick their own clients.