Washington (AP) – The Ministry of Justice strongly criticizes a judge who arrested the application of a white house executive decree intended to punish an eminent law firm, pursuing a model of Trump administrative attacks on the judiciary on the decisions that officials do not like.
Attorney General Pam Bondi Federal agencies also declared that they retained “the authority to decide with who to work” despite a court decision last month which temporarily blocked administration efforts to prevent Jenner and prevent employees from having access to federal buildings and who ordered that federal contracts held by the company or its customers are examined and dismissed.
The law firm is among several leading topics in recent weeks in executive decrees in the same way by the Republican President; Some, like Jenner & Block, continued on orders, and Others have reached colonies To avoid being sanctioned by the White House. American district judge John Bates, appointed by President George W. Bush, prevented the main provisions of the decree from taking effect last month and envisaged a request from the company to definitively block its application.
In a letter made public Tuesday evening, bondi and The Budget Director of the White House Russell Vought Agency heads informed of the judge’s decision, but also castigated him for this.
“On March 28, 2025, an unclear district court again invaded political prerogatives and the freedom of expression of the executive power, in particular by demanding the Attorney General and the Director of the CMA to write a letter at the head of each executive and agency department,” wrote the two officials. “The judges of the local district do not have this authority, and the Supreme Court should quickly force the blatant surpassing of the judiciary.”
The letter was submitted to the Washington Federal Court as part of a report on the status of the trial brought by Jenner & Block.
“Of course, as indicated in the court order, agencies are authorized to perpetuate their ordinary activity which involves with him the power to decide with who to work,” he adds.
He adds later: “As remains, the position of the executive power according to which decree 14246 was necessary, the government reserves the right to take all the necessary and judicial actions concerning” law “, national security problems and discriminatory practices involving Jenner & Block.”
This assertion could place the administration in conflict with the Bates order, which ordered the Trump administration to inform the federal agencies to ignore the large expanses of its decree. A separate provision of the ordinance, requiring the suspension of active security authorizations for company employees, is not affected by the judge’s decision.
The Jenner & Block trial, as well as Wilmerhale, another company targeted by a decree, asked Federal judges on Tuesday to definitively block the application of orders against them.
The decree against Jenner & Block was at least up to the fact that the cabinet used to employ Andrew Weissmann, a lawyer who sat on The team of special lawyer Robert Mueller This investigated Trump during his first mandate on the potential links between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Weissmann, a public target frequenting Trump’s anger, left the company several years ago.
Mueller retired from Wilmerhale, but an executive decree of the White House targeting this company mentioned it as well as another retirement partner and a current partner who all sat on the Mueller team.
Besides Jenner & Block and Wilmerhale, other companies targeted by the decree include Perkins Coie and Covington & Burling.
Last month, after being faced with a similar order, Paul Weiss concluded an agreement with the White House This led to the cancellation of the order. Three other companies – Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, as well as Millbank and Willkie, Farr & Gallagher – have reached regulations with the Trump administration before they could be subject to an order.
