Trump signed EO 14246 suspending Jenner & Block security clearances, pressuring contractors to cut ties with firm

On March 25, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14246, directing the immediate suspension of all security clearances held by Jenner & Block employees and barring firm personnel from federal buildings. The order also required all government contractors to disclose existing business relationships with the firm and threatened contract termination for those who maintained them. The stated basis was the firm's prior employment of Andrew Weissmann—a prosecutor who participated in the Mueller investigation of Trump—and its representation of transgender and immigrant clients.

EO 14246 was the second in a rapid series of retaliatory executive orders targeting major law firms. EO 14229 had targeted Perkins Coie on February 25; EO 14246 targeted Jenner & Block on March 25; EO 14250 targeted WilmerHale two days later on March 27. The pattern—suspending security clearances, barring building access, and coercing contractors to sever relationships—tracked as a coordinated campaign to punish firms for constitutionally protected legal work, including the representation of political opponents and participation in lawful federal investigations.

Jenner & Block filed suit the day the order was signed, obtaining a temporary restraining order the same day. Judge John Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a permanent injunction on May 23, 2025, finding that EO 14246 imposed unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. The injunction is the legal outcome; the originating abuse was the signing on March 25, which immediately subjected the firm's attorneys to clearance revocation and its clients to coercive contractor pressure.