April 9, 2025, Roseville, MN—The International Academy of Trial Lawyers (the Academy) has filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia supporting Perkins Coie LLP’s motion for summary judgment and declaratory relief. The filing responds to a March 6, 2025, Executive Order that imposes sweeping punitive sanctions against Perkins Coie and other leading law firms, threatening the independence of the legal profession and the integrity of the U.S. justice system.
“For more than 70 years, the Academy has stood for the Rule of Law,” said Joe H. Tucker, Jr, President of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and amicus counsel. “What we are witnessing today is unprecedented in our democracy: a direct assault on lawyers and law firms for doing what the Constitution requires—zealously representing clients, including those with views or causes the government may not like.”
The brief highlights the chilling effect of recent Executive Orders, which revoke security clearances, restrict government contracts, and deny federal access to targeted law firms. It draws comparisons to autocratic regimes that retaliate against legal professionals and reminds the Court that the United States has condemned such practices abroad—most notably through the passage of the Magnitsky Act.
“Lawyers are not agents of the state. They are officers of the Court, defenders of liberty, and guardians of constitutional values,” added Tucker. “No law firm should face government retaliation for representing a client, especially when that representation includes challenging unlawful government action.”
The Academy urges the Court to permanently enjoin the Executive Order, reaffirming the principle that access to justice and fearless legal advocacy are not just privileges of democracy—they are its pillars.
Read the full brief here.
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