# Executive Order 14263: Addressing Risks From Susman Godfrey
Executive Order 14263 establishes measures to restrict federal government engagement with the law firm Susman Godfrey LLP, which the order characterizes as engaging in activities detrimental to American interests. The order frames Susman Godfrey as "weaponizing" the American legal system, undermining election quality, supporting groups that allegedly degrade military effectiveness, and practicing unlawful racial discrimination through its diversity programs. Positioned as part of the administration's broader agenda to end what it terms the "weaponization of the Federal Government" (referencing Executive Order 14147), this order represents a significant intervention targeting a specific private law firm based on claims about its conduct and client representation.
The order establishes four primary mechanisms to restrict government interaction with Susman Godfrey. First, it directs the immediate suspension of security clearances held by the firm's personnel pending review. Second, it requires the Office of Management and Budget to identify all government resources provided to Susman Godfrey and instructs agencies to cease providing these resources. Third, it mandates that federal contractors disclose any business relationships with Susman Godfrey and directs agency heads to terminate contracts with the firm or entities doing business with it "to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law." Finally, it restricts Susman Godfrey employees' access to federal buildings and limits government employees' engagement with the firm's personnel.
Implementation responsibilities are distributed across multiple federal entities, with agency heads required to submit assessments of contracts with Susman Godfrey to the Office of Management and Budget within 30 days. The Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence are specifically tasked with reviewing security clearances. The order also establishes hiring restrictions, requiring agency head waivers (in consultation with the Office of Personnel Management) for any potential government hiring of Susman Godfrey employees. While asserting these actions are within presidential authority, the order includes standard language clarifying it does not impair existing legal authorities or create new enforceable rights. The measure follows a similar executive order (14230) issued the previous month targeting another law firm, Perkins Coie LLP, suggesting a pattern of using executive authority to restrict government engagement with specific law firms characterized as acting against administration priorities.