Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder.
A federal judge has struck down President Trump's executive order targeting the prominent law firm of Perkins Coie.
The ruling deals a blow to Trump's campaign to punish law firms he views as political enemies.
Here's NPR's Ryan Lewis.
In her ruling, U.S.
District Judge Beryl Howell says that no American president has ever issued an executive order like the one against Perkins Coie.
But Howell says in purpose and effect,
it draws from a playbook that dates back to Shakespeare and his famous phrase of,
quote, the first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.
Howell's ruling framed Trump's executive order as an attack on the independence of the legal profession and the broader judicial system and their foundational principles.
She said punishing lawyers
for representing clients or causes the president doesn't like is unconstitutional.
Three other firms have sued to challenge Trump's orders targeting them.
Perkins' case is the first to be permanently blocked by a court.
Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.
Many within the legal industry have condemned Trump's targeting of law firms,
but nine have reached deals with the Trump administration.
Press freedoms are seeking to unprecedented lows.
That's according to a new report by media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders,
its annual World Press Freedom Index.