Washington Attorney General Nick Brown is leading a group of 21 attorneys general in supporting the Seattle-based law firm Perkins Coie against an executive order by President Donald Trump. The order seeks to prevent the firm from litigating against the Trump Administration, according to the Office of the Attorney General.
Attorney General Nick Brown's coalition claims that the president's executive order aims "to exclude certain lawyers and certain viewpoints from reaching a court of law at all." Brown stated that lawyers should be able to represent clients without fear of persecution. The coalition's brief, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, notes past disagreements between Perkins Coie and state governments but emphasizes the need for effective legal representation in the judicial process, as reported by the Office of the Attorney General.
Attorneys general from states including Arizona, California, and New York have opposed a recent executive order. Their statement noted that "[N]o lawyer should have to fear for their public safety or livelihood for carrying out their ethical duties to vigorously represent their client," as stated by the Office of the Attorney General.
