Today, Donald Trump signed a likely unconstitutional Executive Order targeting elite litigation firm Susman Godfrey. Similar to the other EOs aimed at Biglaw, the order purports to strip Susman attorneys of access to federal buildings, amongst other provisions.
But even more chilling than the EO itself were comments made during the signing. Trump revealed he’s targeting “another five” firms. Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller boasted about the deals that a number of Bigaw firms have inked with the administration to get themselves out of the Trump doghouse. So far, the announced deals (from Paul Weiss, Skadden, Milbank, and Willkie) have included $340 million in pro bono payola. But Miller estimated the value at $600 to $700 million, which sure seems to hint that more firms are willing to bend the knee. “The numbers are adding up. We’re going to be close to a billion soon,” he said.
So… why has Susman caught the attention of Trump? Well, Miller said, “This firm is very involved in the election misconduct.” Which, is misleading at best. But Susman Godfrey represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation case against Fox News, collecting a hefty contingency fee from the $787.5 million settlement that rocketed the firm up the Biglaw rankings by a variety of measures. Plus Susman has been active in the Perkins Coie case challenging the EO against that firm — they signed the law firm amicus brief and are repping the bipartisan group of former senior national security, foreign policy, intelligence, and other public officials that also filed an amicus.
UPDATE: A spokesperson from the firm provided this statement: “Anyone who knows Susman Godfrey knows we believe in the rule of law, and we take seriously our duty to uphold it. This principle guides us now. There is no question that we will fight this unconstitutional order.”
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].