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Trump squares off with top law firms

PRESIDENT TRUMP has a new round of court battles on his hands, as he seeks to punish law firms with ties to former special counsel Robert Mueller.

Two prominent Washington law firms — Jenner & Block and WilmerHale — sued the Trump administration Friday over the president’s executive orders to limit their government contracts, security clearances and access to government buildings.

Mueller worked at WilmerHale before being tapped as special counsel investigating contacts between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Jenner & Block once employed Andrew Weismann, who worked on Mueller’s team and has gone on to become an anti-Trump legal pundit.

“The Constitution, top to bottom, protects against such attempts by the government to target citizens and lawyers based on the opinions they voice, the people with whom they associate, and the clients they represent,” the Jenner & Block lawsuit states.

Trump has signed similar orders targeting the law firms of Perkins Coie and Paul Weiss, as well as a limited order impacting an attorney at Covington & Burling.

Perkins Coie also sued, with a federal judge blocking portions of Trump’s order as the case unfolds.

Paul Weiss struck a deal with Trump, which includes a commitment of $40 million on pro bono cases that align with the administration’s goals.

Trump announced Friday that he’d struck a preemptive deal with the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to provide $100 million in pro bono legal services.

“This was essentially a settlement,” Trump said.

DEPORTATIONS CASE HEADS TO SCOTUS

Meanwhile, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to intervene to allow for swift deportations for alleged gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg halted deportations under that law, as civil rights groups warn the absence of due process could lead to wrongful deportations.

Trump and Republicans have called for Boasberg to be impeached and removed, although a three-judge appeals court panel upheld his ruling.

“This case presents fundamental questions about who decides how to conduct sensitive national-security-related operations in this country—the President, through Article II, or the Judiciary, through TROs,” the Justice Department wrote in its application to the Supreme Court, referring to temporary retraining orders.

“The Constitution supplies a clear answer: the President. The republic cannot afford a different choice.”

Boasberg is also overseeing a federal records case pertaining to the Trump officials who discussed Houthi attack plans over the Signal communications app. The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to the group chat, setting off a firestorm in Washington.

Boasberg, who was randomly assigned to the case, ordered the Trump administration to preserve all the texts in question.

STUDENT ARRESTS GROW

The courts are also hearing arguments over several high-profile arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials of student activists, as the Trump administration cracks down on pro-Palestinian protesters on campuses.

Democrats are

© The Hill