Susman Godfrey sues Trump over executive order, represented by Usha Vance’s old law firm

With the order, the firm will be stripped of its security clearances, have its government contracts terminated, and have limited access to federal buildings.

Susman Godfrey filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Friday, arguing the executive order against the firm is “blatantly unconstitutional.”

“Whatever opinions one may hold about President Trump, or about Susman Godfrey’s litigation on behalf of its clients, someday a different president with an entirely different set of policy priorities and personal grievances will sit behind the Resolute Desk. That future president may genuinely believe that an entirely different set of organizations or people have “engage[d] in activities detrimental to critical American interests,” to quote the accusation President Trump has leveled at Susman Godfrey,” the lawsuit said.

“If President Trump’s Executive Orders are allowed to stand, future presidents will face no constraint when they seek to retaliate against a different set of perceived foes. What for two centuries has been beyond the pale will become the new normal,” the lawsuit continued.

Notably, the firm recently represented Dominion Voting Systems in its high-profile defamation lawsuit against Fox News over claims about the 2020 election being rigged against Trump. The lawsuit was settled in April 2023 for $787 million.

In the lawsuit filed Friday, Susman Godfrey is being represented by lawyers from Munger, Tolles, & Olson LLP — the firm second lady Usha Vance previously worked for. Vance stepped down from the firm after her husband, JD, was selected to be Trump’s running mate in July 2024.

While some law firms have opted to sue the Trump administration over executive orders targeting them, others have decided to effectively settle to get the retaliatory actions rescinded.

5 LAW FIRMS CUT DEALS WITH TRUMP INVOLVING $600 MILLION IN PRO BONO WORK TO AVOID PUNISHMENT

Five major law firms cut a deal with the White House to provide $600 million in pro bono work to avoid punishment, the president announced on Friday.

“President Trump and his Administration have entered into an agreement with these long established firms, which have affirmed their strong commitment to ending the Weaponization of the Justice System and the Legal Profession. The President continues to fulfill his promise to the American People that the Age of Partisan Lawfare in America is OVER,” the White House said in a statement Friday.