Brett Andersen

Whether you support him or not, President Trump’s systematic retaliation against law firms like Susman Godfrey for representing clients or causes he opposes is more than an attack on those firms — it’s an attack on the rule of law itself. Lawyers make easy targets. But as John Adams knew when he defended the British soldiers on trial for the Boston Massacre, securing our rights and freedoms depends on their efforts to uphold the rule of law and defend the unpopular. If you’re being prosecuted, suing the government for violating your rights, or challenging an unconstitutional law, you need a lawyer. And you shouldn’t have to worry about whether the government will retaliate against the attorneys who take your case. Worryingly, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to these executive actions that threaten to chill First Amendment-protected advocacy, undermine the right to counsel, and erode due process. President Trump announced that five more executive orders targeting law firms and their clients are forthcoming, even after courts blocked three earlier orders for likely violating the Constitution. The use of executive power to punish opponents is neither new nor confined to a single party, but we should always be alarmed by such unconstitutional overreach. Today’s tactics can just as easily be turned against the views or causes you support tomorrow. For nearly 250 years, America has been a nation of laws, not men. Our heritage of freedom and due process demands that legal processes remain accessible to those with grievances. Access to counsel is a critical part of that liberty.