Donald Trump’s executive order was overruled by a federal judge in a very unique way. The same judge also went on to call the order “unconstitutional” before expressing his thoughts on it. The judge’s way of taking a jab at Trump by using his own peculiar habit is now grabbing attention.
The executive order that was overruled targeted one of the top law firms in the country, WilmerHale. Ever since the beginning of his term in office, the President has targeted various law firms that have worked on cases against him. He went after WilmerHale for hiring Robert Mueller.
Mueller worked as the Department of Justice special counsel and oversaw an investigation that looked into a possible link between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The President’s executive order ordered the U.S. attorney general to take away the security clearances for the firm’s lawyers. All federal agencies were also required to terminate the government contracts that the law firm had acquired.
Judge Richard Leon, who struck down the executive order while noting how “absurd” Trump’s argument was. What grabbed the attention of many was the very pointed way the judge chose to overrule Trump’s executive order.
Lots! Of! Exclamation! In Judge Leon’s opinion striking down Trump’s EO targeting WilmerHale as unconstitutional. He’s the third judge to rule against one of the law firm EOs in recent days – only the Susman Godfrey ruling left to go. pic.twitter.com/ePL2ycIxAE
— Daniel Barnes (@dnlbrns) May 27, 2025
Leon labelled Trump’s order to be “unconstitutional” and used exclamation marks free-handedly to emphasize his feelings towards it. Exclamation marks are one of the punctuation marks that legal experts discourage the use of. It is also extremely rare to see a federal judge use one, let alone 26.
26 exclamation marks in total could be counted in the 73-page opinion that the federal judge wrote, reported Huff Post. People could not help but think that the use of the punctuation mark was intentional, given the President’s love for exclamation marks. The President is often seen using several exclamation marks, mostly in the social media posts that he pens.
One of the statements that Leon uses the exclamation mark to emphasize how “absurd!” Trump’s argument for issuing the executive order is. “The Order shouts through a bullhorn: If you take on causes disfavored by President Trump, you will be punished!” he notes at another point in the 73-page document.
Statement from WilmerHale on Trump’s executive order targeting the firm:
“We look forward to pursuing all appropriate remedies to this unlawful order.”https://t.co/B1ab15YE8T https://t.co/dH3ZxM44pK pic.twitter.com/8hiJ0PapaO
— Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) March 28, 2025
WilmerHale, the law firm currently being targeted by Trump, labelled the executive order as an “unprecedented assault” on the judicial system. ″The Court’s decision to permanently block the unlawful executive order in its entirety strongly affirms our foundational constitutional rights and those of our clients,” WilmerHale’s official statement read.
Leon overruled Trump’s order by noting that letting it pass “would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!”
