In a stunning turn of events, Judge Beryl Howell, appointed during the Obama era, has blocked a portion of President Trump’s executive order aimed at restricting employees from the DNC-linked law firm Perkins Coie from accessing federal buildings. This decision marked a significant legal blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to curb the influence of Perkins Coie, which has historical ties with Hillary Clinton and the infamous Russia dossier.
Judge Howell granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) to Perkins Coie, citing due process concerns. The TRO halts sections of Trump’s order that limit government contracts with the firm’s clients and restrict Perkins Coie employees from obtaining government positions or entering federal buildings. CNN reported these developments.
During the court proceedings, Judge Howell expressed her unease with the executive reach, querying the government’s position. “Your view is, ‘Don’t be chilled, judge. You can just trust the president to draw the right line, and yes, he has that power?’” Howell asked. Chad Mizelle, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Pam Bondi, affirmed, “100 percent, the president has every right to take that action.”
BREAKING: Judge Howell has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing Trump’s executive order seeking to block Perkins Coie (and its clients) from all government business and buildings.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney)
March 12, 2025
Last week, President Trump made headlines by stripping security clearances from Perkins Coie employees. This decisive action targeted the law firm known for its involvement in hiring Fusion GPS, the firm behind the debunked ‘Trump-Russia’ dossier used during the 2016 presidential campaign. This dossier, compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, falsely alleged that Trump had ties to Russian blackmail and conspiracies.
The dossier, eventually published by BuzzFeed in January 2017, has been largely discredited. In 2022, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) fined Hillary Clinton’s campaign for failing to disclose payments to Fusion GPS funneled through Perkins Coie, a violation of campaign finance rules. Yet, Clinton received only a minor penalty for this transgression.
President Trump boldly stated that signing the executive order to revoke Perkins Coie employees’ security clearances was a significant honor. WATCH:
NEW: President Donald J. Trump signs an executive order suspending the security clearances for employees at Perkins Coie — which played a key role in the Russia hoax. “This is an absolute honor to sign.”
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47)
March 6, 2025
Judge Beryl Howell, known for her anti-Trump stance, has consistently ruled against Trump, particularly during the Jack Smith inquiry. She controversially forced Trump’s lawyer, Eric Corcoran, to testify in a classified documents case by overriding attorney-client privilege.
In addition, Howell has previously launched verbal attacks, accusing the nation of veering towards authoritarianism under Trump’s leadership, while ignoring criticisms of her own partisan conduct. Notably, former Gorsuch clerk Mike Davis provided a detailed list of her radical actions:
- A staunch partisan and Obama appointee.
- Former Democrat staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee under Patrick Leahy.
- Ex-federal prosecutor with connections to Loretta Lynch and Andrew Weissmann.
- Co-author of a legal paper with Weissmann from the Mueller probe.
- Supervised the Mueller probe.
- Harsh sentencer of January 6 defendants, pressuring for even stricter punishments.
- Seized a congressman’s phone, though this was overturned by the DC circuit.
- Compelled Trump’s attorneys to hand over privileged records without allowing time for appeal.
- Targeted Twitter with illegal warrants, seeking records beyond the government’s entitlement.
- Operates as a left-wing activist in the judicial system.
