The US Justice Department abruptly reversed its decision to drop appeals against sanctions on law firms seen as hostile to former President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department executed a sudden reversal on Tuesday, seeking to reinstate its legal defense of sanctions imposed on several prominent law firms.

The department had abruptly abandoned its appeals against court rulings that found the sanctions unconstitutional just one day earlier.

According to court filings, the government asked the appeals court to reinstate the cases, acknowledging the targeted firms opposed the move.

The sanctions, enacted via executive order last spring by then-President Donald Trump, revoked security clearances and restricted federal access for the firms.

Firms including Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner and Block, and Susman Godfrey successfully challenged the orders in court.

Before the reversal, Susman Godfrey stated “the government has capitulated, which is a fitting end to its plainly unconstitutional attack.”

“In doing so, it has abandoned any attempt to defend the indefensible executive order against our firm,” it added.

The government argued in its filing that it retains the authority to proceed as the appeals court has not yet ruled.

The court is not obligated to grant the motion to reinstate the appeals.

WilmerHale and Jenner and Block were linked to former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference.

Perkins Coie represented Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign and worked on documents concerning Trump’s Russia ties.

To avoid sanctions, other firms reportedly reached agreements with the Trump administration.

These agreements involved offering pro bono legal services to causes he supported, such as veterans’ groups.

 The Sun Malaysia