A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily froze parts of President Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm Perkins Coie, which claims its past work for Democrats made it a subject of retaliation by the administration.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, an appointee of former President Obama, temporarily blocked the administration from preventing Perkins Coie personnel from entering federal government buildings and requiring government contractors to disclose if they do business with the firm.

Howell said Trump’s order likely violates the First Amendment for retaliating against protected speech and that it also likely runs afoul of due process protections and the Perkins Coie’s clients’ Sixth Amendment right to counsel.

She compared the president to the Queen of Hearts in “Alice in Wonderland,” noting that the rash queen’s outbursts — “Off with their heads!” — are entertaining to read about but “cannot be the reality we are living” under our Constitution.

“Regardless of whether the president dislikes the firm's clients, dislikes the litigation positions the law firm takes in vigorous representation of those........

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