Press Coalition Challenges Trump’s Executive Order Threatening Press Freedom and Legal Representation

The Trump administration's strong-arming of lawyers is likely to have significant consequences for those he calls the enemy of the people": the press.

That is why 61 media organizations and press freedom advocates, led by The Intercept's Press Freedom Defense Fund and Freedom of the Press Foundation, filed an amicus brief today urging the court to strike down an executive order that imposed sanctions on the Perkins Coie law firm for representing President Donald Trump's political opponents and enforcing the Voting Rights Act.

The amicus brief, authored by Albert Sellars LLP, argues that the press plays an essential role as both a proxy for the public and a check on government power, which requires an oppositional relationship with government interests. The president's executive orders targeting lawyers with clients opposed to his agenda would severely restrict press organizations' access to legal counsel, particularly for outlets relying on pro bono or reduced-fee representation.

An independent media requires First Amendment champions to guarantee citizens access to the information necessary to hold our government accountable," said The Intercept's Chief Legal Officer David Bralow. This is why The Intercept's Press Freedom Defense Fund and Freedom of the Press Foundation, along with partner organizations nationwide, filed an amicus brief to prevent the administration's unconstitutional efforts to intimidate lawyers fulfilling their professional oaths."

Newsrooms are broke and FOIA is broken. Journalists face the threat of SLAPP suits, subpoenas, arrest, and, these days, even deportation, just for doing their jobs," said Seth Stern, Freedom of the Press Foundation's advocacy director. Now more than ever, reporters need access to quality pro bono representation to overcome these obstacles and hold the government accountable. If an anti-free speech president can shake down law firms that represent clients he doesn't like, press freedom will suffer immeasurably, and the American public will be less informed."

The coalition includes news organizations, press associations, advocacy groups, media law firms, and individual attorneys with over five centuries of collective experience in First Amendment and press freedom issues.

The signatories of this brief champion the public's right to information - democracy's cornerstone. The Intercept and Press Freedom Defense Fund defend this principle both through our investigative reporting and our vital work safeguarding independent journalism," said Annie Chabel, The Intercept's CEO.

For more information, please contact the press team at The Intercept.

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