Trump Goes to War With BigLaw

Donald Trump’s latest stunt—unleashing sweeping tariffs on April 6, 2025, followed by an executive order targeting lawyers who dare to challenge him—once again is more than bad policy; it is yet another assault on the Constitution, this time the right to counsel. The 6th Amendment’s guarantee of right to counsel is a cornerstone of justice that protects us all. This isn’t about trade deficits or “making America great.” It’s about punishing dissent, silencing legal opposition, and consolidating power in a way that should make every American’s blood run cold.

Let’s set the scene. On April 6, Trump strutted onto Truth Social and declared a new executive order to “permanently defund and dissolve” the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP)—a move I’ve already railed against—but he didn’t stop there. He also announced a barrage of tariffs: 10% across the board on imports, with steeper hikes for 60 countries he claims are “ripping us off.” The Dow futures tanked 1,500 points by Sunday night, oil prices plummeted, and China retaliated with 34% tariffs on U.S. goods. Economists are screaming recession risks—JPMorgan pegs it at 60%—and the Tax Foundation says families will shell out $2,100 more a year. But Trump? He’s golfing in Florida, calling it “Liberation Day” and claiming “the patient lived.” The patient being America, I suppose, though it feels more like a coma.

Then came the kicker. Buried in his tariff rollout was a quieter, more sinister executive order—one that’s been whispered about on X and confirmed by legal circles. Signed late on April 6, it targets law firms and attorneys who’ve filed suits against his administration’s policies, like the USIP takeover or his immigration crackdowns. The order threatens sanctions, termination of federal contracts, and revocation of security clearances for lawyers deemed to be “weaponizing the legal system” against him. It’s a blatant retaliation scheme, and as a defense lawyer, I see it for what it is: a gut punch to the Sixth Amendment, which guarantees every American the right to counsel in criminal cases—and, by extension, access to fearless legal representation in any fight against the state.

The Sixth Amendment isn’t just for courtroom dramas. It’s about ensuring the government can’t intimidate or punish those who stand up to it. Trump’s order flips that on its head. Imagine you’re a defendant facing a trumped-up charge—say, protesting his tariffs or defying his deportation machine. You hire a lawyer to fight back, only to find out your counsel’s firm just lost its federal contracts because it sued over Trump’s Alien Enemies Act stunt last month. Or worse, your attorney’s security clearance is yanked, crippling their ability to take on high-stakes cases. Suddenly, your right to effective counsel is gutted—not because of anything you did, but because Trump has decided your lawyer’s a threat. That’s not justice; it’s vengeance.

This isn’t hypothetical. Look at Perkins Coie, a firm already battling an executive order from March that limited its access to federal buildings after it challenged Trump’s policies. Over 500 law firms filed an amicus brief in support on April 5, signaling a legal uprising. Trump’s response? Double down. His new order explicitly names firms like Perkins Coie as examples of “abusers” and sets up a DOGE-led “review board” to sniff out others. Elon Musk, Trump’s billionaire sidekick, is reportedly cheering this on, with X posts hinting at a broader purge of “activist lawyers.” The message is clear: challenge Trump, and your career’s toast.

From a criminal defense perspective, this is chilling. I’ve seen clients railroaded by prosecutors who stack the deck—hiding evidence, pressuring witnesses. But when the White House itself starts blacklisting lawyers, it’s a whole new level of tyranny. The Sixth Amendment doesn’t just protect defendants; it protects the system’s integrity. If lawyers can’t take on the government without risking their livelihoods, who’s left to hold Trump accountable? His tariff chaos is already a legal minefield—lawsuits are piling up from businesses, unions, and even states like California over economic fallout. Now, he’s trying to kneecap the very people who’d fight those battles.

Trump’s defenders will say this is about “draining the swamp” or stopping “frivolous lawsuits.” Nonsense. It is, as always, about control, straight out of the fascist playbook. Look at the timing: markets are crashing, protests are erupting—over 1,400 “Hands Off!” rallies hit the streets on April 5—and his USIP takeover is still in court. He’s rattled. So he lashes out, not with policy, but with punishment. The tariff mess alone is a self-inflicted wound—Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell admitted on April 4 that the economic hit will be “larger than expected,” with inflation and slower growth baked in. Yet Trump’s fix isn’t negotiation (despite 50 countries begging for talks); it’s silencing the critics, legal and otherwise.

The human stakes are brutal. Those 200 USIP staffers fired in March? They’re still jobless, their expertise in peacebuilding trashed. Now, add the families who’ll pay more for groceries, the workers laid off as supply chains buckle, the immigrants detained under his visa crackdowns—like Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist held in Louisiana since March. Their lawyers are next on the chopping block. I’ve defended clients against retaliatory prosecutions; this feels like that, but on a national scale. Trump’s not just targeting “elites”—he’s targeting anyone who dares say no.

For liberals, this is a gut check. We’ve long championed justice, fairness, the little guy. Trump’s tariffs will hit the poorest hardest—$2,100 a year isn’t chump change for a single mom. His lawyer purge threatens the marginalized most—immigrants, activists, the working class—who rely on legal aid to survive. The Sixth Amendment isn’t a luxury; it’s a shield. When Trump weaponizes executive power to neuter counsel, he’s not just breaking norms—he’s breaking the law’s spine.

We’ve got to fight this. Lawsuits are already brewing—Perkins Coie’s case could set precedent, and states like Washington are suing over health funding cuts tied to DOGE’s axe. But it’s not enough. Protests matter—those 600,000 signees for “Hands Off!” show the public’s awake. Congress could rein in his tariff authority, though with Republicans in lockstep, that’s a long shot. The courts? Maybe, if judges like Maryland’s James Bredar, who paused some federal firings on April 1, keep pushing back. But we can’t wait. Trump’s betting on fear—fear of economic ruin, fear of retaliation—to keep us quiet. He’s wrong.

This isn’t just about tariffs or some think tank. It’s about whether the government can punish you for fighting it—whether your lawyer can stand with you without losing everything. The Sixth Amendment says no. I say no. If Trump thinks he can bully us into submission, he’s forgotten what defense lawyers do: we fight, even when the odds suck. Especially then. This is our line in the sand. Cross it, Donald, and see what happens.