Overview
- The administration notified the firms over the weekend that it would withdraw the appeals, according to a source familiar with the decision.
- The four firms are Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner & Block, and Susman Godfrey.
- Federal judges in Washington, D.C., ruled last year against orders that sought to restrict the firms’ access to federal buildings, classified information, and agency meetings.
- The government had been appealing and slowing proceedings at the U.S. D.C. Circuit, with filings due this week before the reversal.
- The campaign was reported as an apparent act of retribution by President Trump, and despite the withdrawal, firms have altered practices by cutting deals, shifting some pro bono work toward conservative causes, and slowing hiring of Democratic Justice Department alumni; the Justice Department declined to comment.