The ruling from U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell is the first to permanently block an executive order issued by President Trump punishing a law firm for representing clients or causes he dislikes.

With nearly 40 years of legal practice, lawyer Abbe Lowell has represented many powerful people. Now he's starting a new law firm to represent those who have drawn the ire of President Trump.

The ripple effects of Trump's actions targeting specific law firms already are being felt beyond boardrooms, in declining interest in pro bono work for causes that are unpopular with the president.

The firms Jenner and Block and WilmerHale sued President Trump over executive orders targeting the firms for their clients and work, saying they undermine the overall legal system.

The Justice Department accused Howell of repeatedly demonstrating "animus" toward President Trump, after she paused enforcement of an executive order.

While Trump's executive order takes aim at Perkins Coie, the judge said it "casts a chilling harm of blizzard proportion across the entire legal profession."

Perkins Coie's lawsuit is in response to President Trump's executive order that accused the firm of "dishonest and dangerous activity" that sought to overturn laws and elections and of allegedly discriminatory DEI policies.