Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s order targeting law firm: ‘Shocking abuse of power’
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(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at Susman Godfrey, the law firm that has for years represented Dominion Voting Systems — the leading supplier of election technology across the U.S.
The decision from Judge Loren AliKhan on Tuesday is the latest win for one of the few law firms that have fought back against Trump’s orders instead of striking a deal.
Trump’s executive order seeks to block the firm’s access to government buildings and cancel government contracts, among others, over their “previous activities.”
Susman Godfrey has represented the voting machine company Dominion, famously securing a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News to settle allegations the network aired false claims about the company rigging the 2020 election.
Notably, the firm still represents Dominion in its active cases against a number of Trump’s allies — including Rudy Giuliani, Mike Lindell and others.
In her ruling, Judge AliKhan delivered a strong repudiation of the order, noting it “chills the firm’s speech and advocacy” as well as “threatens reputational harm.”
“The executive order is based on a personal vendetta… and frankly I think the Framers of the Constitution would see this as a shocking abuse of power,” she said.
During the hearing on Tuesday afternoon, attorneys representing Susman Godfrey said that Trump’s order was “one of the most brazenly unconstitutional exercises of executive power in the history of this nation.”
“The executive is wielding an axe, and we don’t know exactly when that axe is going to fall but they’re ready to bring it down,” said Donald Verrilli, an attorney representing Susman from the firm Munger, Tolles, and Olson.
Deputy Associate Attorney General Richard Lawson, a political appointee who previously worked for Attorney General Pam Bondi, argued repeatedly that the order fit squarely in the administration’s free speech rights.
“I would urge great caution from the court on the judiciary policing the executive branch’s speech, that is just a very tricky area that is extremely difficult to try and implement,” Lawson said.
He argued the judge should wait until the administration issued formal guidance to agencies on their interactions with the firm before issuing a temporary restraining order barring any kind of enforcement.
Despite this, Judge AliKhan said the TRO would remain in effect for 14 days and ordered the government to rescind any memos or guidance that had already gone out on the order.
Susman Godfrey said of the judge’s decision in a statement to ABC News,”This fight is bigger and more important than any one firm. Susman Godfrey is fighting this unconstitutional executive order because it infringes on the rights of all Americans and the rule of law.”
“This fight is right, it is just, and we are duty-bound to pursue it. We are grateful the court directly addressed the unconstitutionality of the executive order by recognizing it as a ‘shocking abuse of power,'” the firm said.
The hearing comes as the Trump administration has ramped up pressure against several law firms and universities.
Since Trump began targeting law firms, nine of the country’s largest law firms — including Paul Weiss, Kirkland & Ellis, Willkie Farr and Latham & Watkins — have agreed to provide a combined $940 million in legal services to promote causes supported by the president.
The firms also agreed to remove Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from hiring practices and vow not to deny representing clients based on politics.
Alternatively, three other major U.S. firms — Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, and Jenner & Block — are fighting the president’s action against law firms in federal courts, which have temporarily paused the orders from taking effect.
(NEW YORK) — Mahmoud Khalil — the pro-Palestinian activist who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the campus of Columbia University, despite possessing a green card — is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
Khalil is currently being held in Louisiana after being arrested in New York earlier this week. His legal team is asking for Khalil to order the government to return him to New York while his legal fight plays out.
The court will hear the habeas corpus petition filed by Khalil’s legal team on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s administration has alleged that Khalil — who was a leader of the pro-Palestinian encampment protests on Columbia’s campus — was a supporter of Hamas. Authorities have not charged Khalil with a crime and the administration has not provided any evidence showing Khalil’s alleged support for the militant group.
Baher Azmy, one of the lawyers representing Khalil, called his client’s alleged alignment with Hamas “false and preposterous.”
Attorney Amy E. Greer said Khalil’s detention in Louisiana is a “blatantly improper but familiar tactic designed to frustrate the New York federal court’s jurisdiction.”
Khalil’s arrest has prompted protests calling for his release. Fourteen members of Congress have also signed a letter demanding his release.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
ABC News’ Armando Garcia, James Hill, Laura Romero and Ely Brown contributed to this report.
(CALIFORNIA) — A California man and his dog were rescued on Wednesday after spending the night trapped in a crushed pickup truck along a highway in the northern part of the state, according to the California Highway Patrol.
At approximately 10:03 a.m. Wednesday, a motorist traveling along Highway 89 — three miles north of Calpine, California — called 911 after passing by the wreckage, “but was unsure if anyone was in the vehicle,” the Sierra County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Since police were not certain of the condition of the driver, paramedics, the local fire department and California Highway Patrol accompanied a sheriff’s deputy to the scene, officials said.
Upon arrival, first responders found the pickup truck approximately “30 feet down the hillside along Highway 89,” the sheriff’s office said.
Inside the vehicle, authorities found “one single occupant and a dog,” the sheriff’s office said.
The driver told officials he “crashed the day before around 2 p.m. and had spent the night in the truck,” even admitting to officials that “he just wasn’t paying attention and went off the road,” according to highway patrol.
The Sierra County Fire Department contacted the U.S. Forest Service and Graeagle Fire for assistance in extracting the driver from the wreckage, the sheriff’s department said.
After an hour of “meticulous work,” the driver was removed from the vehicle and taken to the hospital with “moderate injuries,” the sheriff’s office said.
“It was a pleasure working with Sierra County Fire — Calpine in the successful extrication of a complicated situation. Wishing the patient a full and speedy recovery,” Graeagle Fire Department said in a statement on Wednesday.
The dog appeared to not have any injuries and is currently “being cared for by a friend of the driver,” the sheriff’s office said.
Upon investigation, authorities said they believe the driver had been trapped inside the car for neatly 22 hours before being discovered by the motorist.
The cause of the crash is currently being investigated by the California Highway Patrol.
After this situation, California Highway Patrol urged people to remember “the responsibility we all have to each other when operating these rolling hunks of metal,” the agency said in a statement.
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) — Ashley Keith used to always dream about joining the world of professional sled dog racing.
She got her first sled dog when she was 13 years old and fantasized about one day participating in the renowned 1,000-mile race in Alaska, the Iditarod.
In 2003, she thought her dream was coming true when she was asked to work as a handler for a prominent family that has competed in the Iditarod for decades.
But in reality, “that was what really killed my dream,” Keith told ABC News.
During her time as a handler, she said she was appalled by the conditions the dogs were living in — inspiring her to start Humane Mushing, a movement that fights to raise the standards for sled dog welfare.
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, also known as the “Last Great Race,” is a 1,000-mile race held annually in Alaska since its start in 1973. The competition always occurs during the peak of Alaska’s winter, requiring dogs and mushers — the drivers of the sled — to travel through frozen rivers, mountains and blizzards, according to the race’s website.
The 53rd annual Iditarod will begin with a ceremonial start on Saturday, with the official start taking place Monday. The race will not conclude until the last musher crosses the finish line, which is projected to occur on March 11.
Due to a lack of snow, this year’s race has a different starting point in Fairbanks, Alaska, which extends the competition by an additional 150 miles, according to the race organizers.
The race is a core part of Alaska’s history, stemming back to the Iditarod Trail, a path that was used as a mail route in the 20th century and was critical for transportation in the winter months when roads were obstructed, according to the race’s website.
Despite its tight connection to the culture of Alaska, some argue the race is a form of animal abuse, with dogs working under high levels of stress in extreme weather conditions.
Iditarod officials did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. ABC News also reached out to the World Sleddog Association, Humane World for Animals and the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association for comment.
Race alerts concerns of animal abuse
More than 150 dogs have reportedly died from the race since its start, including three that occurred in the 2024 race, according to PETA. Those deaths do not include dogs that died during training or the off-season, PETA noted. While these recent deaths prompted calls for the race to end, organizations have been protesting the Iditarod for decades, according to Melanie Johnson, a senior manager at PETA.
“This cruelty needs to end now,” Johnson told ABC News. “The number of dogs who die is just going to keep going up as long as the race continues.”
According to a 2001 study by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, more than 80% of dogs that finish the Iditarod sustain persistent lung damage. A 2003 study by the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine found that dogs forced to participate in endurance racing had a 61% higher rate of stomach erosions or ulcers.
Johnson said the leading cause of death for dogs who race in the Iditarod is aspiration pneumonia, which is when the dog inhales its own vomit.
“Whenever a dog is forced to run 100 miles a day, their bodies are going to be pushed past their limits,” Johnson said.
Campaigns and protests by PETA have led several Iditarod sponsors to drop out, including Alaska Airlines, ExxonMobil and the Anchorage Chrysler dealership. With very few sponsors left, Johnson said the race is “really in dire straits.”
Veterinarian treatment at the race
Others argue the race is safe for dogs to compete in, including Dr. Lee Morgan, a veterinarian who previously provided care to canines competing in the Iditarod. In his 14 years working at the race, Morgan told ABC News only seven of the 14,000 dogs he saw have died.
“I’m not diminishing their deaths, but I see that sort of thing with any event that involves people,” Morgan said. “I’ve seen dogs that have died running on the beach with their owner. I’ve seen dogs overheat. Almost any event that involves dogs and humans, there’s a chance for unforeseen circumstances.”
Morgan, who wrote the book “4,000 Paws: Caring for the Dogs of the Iditarod,” said all dogs are required to provide blood work, a urinalysis, an EKG and must undergo a physical exam prior to competing in the race. He also said the race places multiple medical personnel on site at different checkpoints, where each dog is examined and treated for any issues.
Legality of the Iditarod
Despite the accusations of abuse, the Iditarod is a legal competition in the state of Alaska, according to Matthew Liebman, associate professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law.
Similar to other parts of the U.S., Alaska’s anti-cruelty law states a person commits cruelty to animals if the person knowingly inflicts severe or prolonged physical pain on the animal or has a legal duty to care for an animal but fails to do so, causing prolonged suffering to the animal or its death.
Liebman pointed out that Alaska includes an exemption to this law, allowing “generally accepted dog mushing or pulling contests or practices or rodeos or stock contests” to continue to operate.
“This just represents Alaska’s legislature making the determination that even if mushing does cause animals to suffer, it’s something they’re willing to tolerate for the sake of sport or tradition,” Liebman told ABC News.
Liebman said many states prohibit the “overworking” or “overdriving” of animals, meaning the Iditarod might violate anti-cruelty laws in other states.
‘No way do I want any dog on my team to die’
Typically, around 50 mushers compete in the Iditarod each year, with the record being 96 mushers in 2008, according to the race’s website. But those numbers continue to decline, with only 33 mushers registered to compete in this year’s race, which “ties for the record of the smallest field of competitors in the race’s history,” according to Johnson.
Musher Erin Altemus, who competed in the race last year, said it’s impossible to force these racing dogs to run if they don’t want to, which is exactly why she wasn’t able to complete the race in 2024.
“Ultimately what happened to me in the Iditarod is that my dogs didn’t want to run anymore,” Altemus told ABC News. “I had to respect that. There’s nothing I can do to change their minds.”
Keith said the way the dogs are strapped in, with one strap around their neck and another around their back, causes the dogs to be dragged if they ever wish to stop running. Some dogs even have to go to the bathroom without stopping, also known as “pooping on the fly,” according to Keith.
Vets and mushers claim the dogs are able to stop when they need to and are allowed time to rest at different checkpoints throughout the race, where they are also examined by a veterinary team.
At last year’s race, Altemus said she witnessed nothing but kindness and love toward the dogs, both from mushers and staff. The four-legged athletes received treats, massages, copious amounts of hay to sleep on and Prilosec to prevent stomach ulcers, Altemus said.
“If you were at a checkpoint and seeing the dogs coming and going and seeing how much they love to run and how much the mushers do care for their dogs, I think that speaks for itself,” Altemus said.
Altemus said she and other mushers “live in fear” of making a wrong decision for her dogs.
“Going into that race, you think, ‘No way do I want any dog on my team to die,'” Altemus said.
PETA will hold demonstrations at the race throughout the weekend, with one protest at the Mushers Banquet on Saturday and another at the Official Restart on Monday.
As for the future of the Iditarod, Ketih thinks the race’s “days are numbered.”
“No one who cares about their dogs is going to drive them 1,000-plus miles in one week,” Keith said. “Nobody that loves their dogs is pushing them that hard.”
