Trump Expands Attacks on Law Firms, Singling Out Paul, Weiss

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Last edited Sat Mar 15, 2025, 12:05 AM - Edit history (1)

I have been in a number of deals with this firm over my career. This firm has a great corporate group and some great attorneys. I was shocked when I heard that this firm was attacked by trump. The fact that trump is attacking this firm shocked me.

Link to tweet

This link has a unlocked copy of the NYT article
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/us/politics/trump-law-firm.html?unlocked_article_code=1.4E4.8dnc.1DZH5ubWUIGw&smid=tw-share

President Trump on Friday opened a third attack against a private law firm, restricting the business activities of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison just days after a federal judge ruled such measures appeared to violate the Constitution.

The president signed an executive order to suspend security clearances held by people at the firm, pending a review of whether such clearances are consistent with the national interest. The order also seeks to sharply limit Paul, Weiss employees from entering government buildings, getting government jobs or receiving any money from federal contracts.

The move widened an assault by Mr. Trump on some of nation’s most prominent law firms. Legal experts have warned the aggressive campaign sets a dangerous precedent that threatens not just the ability of lawyers to do their jobs, but also the ability of private citizens to obtain lawyers to represent them.

The order said it was intended to end “government sponsorship of harmful activity” at Paul, Weiss and specifically punish one of its former lawyers, Mark F. Pomerantz.

Mr. Trump mentioned Mr. Pomerantz by name in an angry speech Friday at the Justice Department, where he complained about prosecutors and private lawyers who pursued cases against him, calling them “really bad people.” Mr. Trump, in the same speech, claimed he was ending the “weaponization” of the Justice Department, though his move against the firm showed he will continue using his power to exact retribution on his opponents.

Mr. Pomerantz had tried to build a criminal case against Mr. Trump several years ago when he worked at the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The White House announcement called Mr. Pomerantz “an unethical lawyer” who tried to “manufacture a prosecution against President Trump.”

Pomerantz is evidently no long at this firm but trump wants to punish this firm anyway.

This is the same punishment used on Perkins Coie that was struck down earlier. This executive order should be struck down.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. trump is mad at Paul Weiss due to the actions of attorney who is no longer with this firm

According to the article cited in the OP, trump is made a Mark Pomerantz who has not been at Paul Weiss since 2012. The actions that pissed off trump took place after Pomerantz left Paul Weiss

Link to tweet

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/us/politics/trump-law-firm.html?unlocked_article_code=1.4E4.8dnc.1DZH5ubWUIGw&smid=tw-share

The order said it was intended to end “government sponsorship of harmful activity” at Paul, Weiss and specifically punish one of its former lawyers, Mark F. Pomerantz.

Mr. Trump mentioned Mr. Pomerantz by name in an angry speech Friday at the Justice Department, where he complained about prosecutors and private lawyers who pursued cases against him, calling them “really bad people.” Mr. Trump, in the same speech, claimed he was ending the “weaponization” of the Justice Department, though his move against the firm showed he will continue using his power to exact retribution on his opponents.

Mr. Pomerantz had tried to build a criminal case against Mr. Trump several years ago when he worked at the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The White House announcement called Mr. Pomerantz “an unethical lawyer” who tried to “manufacture a prosecution against President Trump.”

The order also cited a case brought by a Paul, Weiss partner against pro-Trump rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the firm’s diversity policies as reasons for the restrictions.

A spokesperson for the firm said in a statement that Mr. Pomerantz retired from the firm in 2012 and had not been affiliated with it for years.

The actions cited by trump all occurred after Pomerantz had retired from the firm. Paul Weiss is retired and so the only person who trump can lash out is Pomerantz' old firm.

[dalton99a]

2. Kick

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Paul Weiss is or was a true "white shoe" law firm as that term was used in the old days

I am old enough to remember when certain New York law firms were called "white shoe" firms and Paul Weiss was in that category. Attacking Paul Weiss is crazy

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. The White House escalates its radical offensive against D.C. law firms

The problem is not just that Donald Trump keeps trying to punish prominent private law firms. The president's motivations make the problem worse.

The White House escalates its radical offensive against D.C. law firms - MSNBC

— (@maxwineinger.bsky.social) 2025-03-17T13:31:51.853Z

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/white-house-escalates-radical-offensive-dc-law-firms-rcna196680

The president didn’t appear to care. In fact, in an interview that was aired early last week, the Republican told Fox News that there were other law firms that he also intended to target. Evidently, he was serious. The New York Times reported:

President Trump on Friday opened a third attack against a private law firm, restricting the business activities of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison just days after a federal judge ruled such measures appeared to violate the Constitution.

According to the order, the move was motivated partly because the firm employs Mark Pomerantz, who assembled evidence against Trump years ago while working at the Manhattan district attorney’s office, and partly because a partner at the firm worked on a case involving a Jan. 6 rioter.

A Politico report noted, “Top law firms are debating whether to make a public show of support for three major firms that have come under attack by the Trump administration. ... But they’re racked by private worries they’d be targeted, too.”

In other words, the president is already retaliating against some of the largest law firms in Washington, D.C. Other firms could step up and denounce such tactics, but they know they’d likely end up soon after on the West Wing’s retaliation list.

But while it’s very easy to believe this campaign reflects Trump’s larger drive to turn his second term into an extended revenge tour, there’s another element to this that’s worth keeping in mind.

Right now, with Congress’ Republican majorities in the House and Senate acting like presidential employees, the most meaningful barrier between Trump and his goals is the judiciary — an institution where he and his policies have struggled quite a bit over the last several weeks.

With this in mind, the rationale behind the offensive against law firms becomes even more obvious: The White House likely wants to stop losing in the courts, and the surest way to prevent those defeats is to discourage nervous law firms from taking cases that Trump won’t like.

I am hoping that the large firms step up and fight trump.