DOJ: Order Against Jenner & Block Is Within Executive Authority
The White House executive order requiring agencies to review and cancel contracts with and security clearances held by Jenner & Block is within the executive branch’s authority and intended to protect national security and taxpayer dollars, said a DOJ filing…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
Tuesday. Jenner & Block frequently practices before the FCC. The order “directs agencies to do what they should already be doing, declines to contract with entities who act inconsistently with valid social policies regarding discrimination, and calls for the lawful examination of security clearances and government access,” it said. Jenner & Block’s request for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the order should be dismissed, DOJ said, since the government “has every right to use its procurement power” to discourage “discriminatory practices” such as diversity initiatives. Jenner & Block’s objections to provisions of the order directing agencies to issue guidance limiting the firm’s lawyers’ access to federal buildings and agency staff are premature, DOJ said. Since no such guidance has yet been issued, “this Court should reject them as unripe without even reaching the merits.” Jenner & Block “can only guess the degree to which agency heads will limit government access.”