Washington state Attorney General’s Office joins coalition of states filing an Amicus Brief in support of Perkins Coie

SEATTLE — Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown today led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of Perkins Coie, the Seattle law firm targeted by President Donald Trump for representing clients and taking positions disfavored by the president.

The states argue that the president’s March 6 executive order is an attempt “to exclude certain lawyers and certain viewpoints from reaching a court of law at all.” The fact sheet that accompanied the executive order said the White House “will not tolerate” that Perkins Coie “has filed lawsuits against the Trump Administration.”

“The American legal system depends on lawyers taking difficult cases and defending unpopular clients,” said Brown. “The President’s illegal order is clearly meant to bully Perkins Coie and punish them for taking cases and clients that he disagrees with.”

Filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the states’ brief acknowledges that the law firm and state government have been on opposing sides of legal matters. The states believe that regardless of the politics of the day, it is important for clients to be represented effectively, allowing judges, juries and the court system to make fair and reasoned decisions.

By targeting a law firm for doing its job, the President is attempting to silence lawyers into compliancy. The brief states, “[N]o lawyer should have to fear for their public safety or livelihood for carrying out their ethical duties to vigorously represent their client. Concerns about retaliation may cause some lawyers to be unwilling to take on certain cases or clients altogether.”

Joining Brown were the attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The brief can be found here.

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