Cato Joins ACLU Amicus Brief Against Unconstitutional Executive Order

The Cato Institute has joined an American Civil Liberties Union amicus brief supporting the law firm Perkins Coie in their challenge to President Trump’s executive order targeting the firm.

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Senior Vice President for Legal Studies Clark Neily and Director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies Thomas Berry issued the following statement:

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President Trump has singled out several of the nation’s largest law firms for serious, potentially business-ending sanctions by executive fiat, citing the firms’ past representation of his political opponents and their lawsuits against the United States. The President’s actions violate fundamental First Amendment freedoms and other constitutional protections.

If allowed to stand, these pressure tactics will have broad and lasting impacts on Americans’ ability to retain legal counsel in important matters, to arrange their business and personal affairs as they like, and to speak their minds. The rights to free speech and legal counsel transcend political ideology and partisan politics. That is why Cato has joined a broad coalition, led by the ACLU, to file a brief supporting Perkins Coie as it defends itself against this unconstitutional executive order.

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You can read the brief here. If you would like to speak with one of our Cato experts on this issue, please reach out to pr@​cato.​org.

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