Federal judge calls Trump's order targeting prominent law firm a 'shocking abuse of power'
The legal battle over Susman Godfrey is part of an intensifying effort by Trump to target his critics and other perceived enemies.
In a blistering ruling, a federal judge blocked a new executive order from President Donald Trump punishing a prominent law firm that successfully sued Fox News for promoting false claims of election fraud.
U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan, speaking from the bench in her Washington, D.C., courtroom Tuesday, said Trump’s order targeting the law firm Susman Godfrey was part of a “personal vendetta.”
“The framers of our Constitution would see this as a shocking abuse of power,” AliKhan said.
President Donald Trump walks with Attorney General Pam Bondi during a visit to the Justice Department, in Washington, DC., on March 14, 2025.Andrew Harnik / Getty Images fileThe legal battle over Susman Godfrey is part of an intensifying effort by Trump to target his critics and other perceived enemies with presidential memorandums and executive orders that leverage the power of the Justice Department and other federal agencies to punish his opponents, legal experts and former Justice Department officials said.
Among the broad array of those targeted by Trump in recent weeks: multiple large law firms that challenged him or his administration in court, former aides who defied him during and after his first term, and people who vandalize Tesla dealerships. Trump also directed the Justice Department to drop all pending investigations related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
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