SF law firm takes stand against Trump administration as executive orders target lawyers

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A San Francisco law firm is taking a stand against the Trump administration.

This is after several executive orders have targeted law firms and perceived political enemies.

"His reasons for doing this is, in every case that they have represented people he doesn't like. They have taken a stance in cases he doesn't like. The First Amendment gives people the right to disagree with the president and the right to use the legal system to express their opposition to the president," said Matthew Coles, professor of law at UC Law San Francisco.

At least five law firms are facing the removal of security clearances. Attorneys are being blocked from accessing federal buildings, and the administration is terminating some contracts.

Some law firms are suing the administration, accusing it of targeting them for working on criminal investigations against the president. Coles views these actions as intimidation tactics and a violation of the First Amendment.

MORE: Another 2 law firms targeted by Trump sue to block executive order

"It is absolutely not legal," Coles said. "President Trump has issued a series of executive orders, in which he reports to tell law firms that have represented people who he doesn't like that their lawyers cant enter federal buildings, that they are going to review their security clearances, and they are going to review all the contracts they have with those law firms."

In San Francisco, the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters is fighting back.

"We are at risk of being targeted in some way by the Trump administration. I don't think there is any risk of us being intimidated. We have a long history in this firm of standing up for what is right, and we are not afraid to go to court. We are not afraid to stand up to the government," said Elliot Peters, partner at Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP.

Peters views the administration's latest moves as concerning.

MORE: White House rescinds executive order targeting prominent law firm

"He goes after law firms and intimidates them and gets lawyers to stop doing their job. The other is a larger sense, what is happening in the country. Is he going to turn this country into an autocracy, where he is the sole person in charge of the government because Congress is completely silent and is doing nothing because the Republicans control both houses," Peters said.

Julie Hamill with the California Justice Center believes the government should have never outsourced some of its cases to private firms.

"Why is the federal government paying for private law firms to do any sort of work on behalf of the federal government? We have plenty of federal employees. We are paying for them to do the work already. Why are we outsourcing any of this work to private law firms?" said Hamill. "I think what is going on, is that they are trying to end the weaponization of government and end this use of private big law firms by government to go after private citizens."