I’m not sure what the Department of Justice’s endgame is with this one. It seems like a silly argument — and one that is one hundred percent obliterated by an amended complaint. But, well, here we are.
Let’s set the scene. It’s in the case that Perkins Coie brought against the Trump administration challenging the Executive Order targeting the firm. The firm has already won a temporary restraining order barring the enforcement of certain key provisions that they’re seeking to make permanent. But the DOJ argued that an injunction is only enforceable against the agencies specifically named in the complaint, not against all of the agencies that could potentially act on the EO.
So Perkins Coie played a quintessentially lawyer move and just amended the complaint. And they listed: Every. Single. Agency.
Over on Bluesky, Roger Parloff of Lawfare gives us a visual of the new amended complaint. It’s a glorious, petty, 40 page masterpiece.
In the law firm executive order cases, DOJ says an injunction barring implementation will only be enforceable against the govt agencies named in the complaint. So Perkins Coie just amended its complaint to name all the relevant fed agencies. The case caption is now 40 pages long. pic.twitter.com/2JhnuRqsog
— Roger Parloff (@rparloff) April 29, 2025
In the immortal words of Marshal Eriksen, you’ve been lawyered.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].