Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, WHITE HOUSE NEWS—Trump takes executive action on security clearances, Paul Weiss concerns, (Mar 24, 2025)

By Steven Melendez

The president ordered the revocation of clearances for Joe Biden and prominent political figures and rescinded an executive order targeting Paul Weiss.

President Donald Trump formally ordered the revocation of security clearances of Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and other prominent political opponents and revoked an earlier executive order targeting the law firm Paul Weiss.

Security clearances. In a memorandum to executive officials titled "Rescinding Security Clearances and Access to Classified Information from Specified Individuals," Trump declared that he had found it "no longer in the national interest" for a set of individuals to have access to classified information.

The memorandum directs department and agency heads to revoke the listed people's security clearances, "immediately rescind their access to classified information," and end their "unescorted access" to federal facilities.

Prominent figures on the list include Trump political opponents and Democratic figures, including former president Joe Biden and all members of his family, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former National Security Advisor Jacob Sullivan, and Antony Blinken, who served as secretary of state under Biden. Also on the list are New York State Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who have both faced off against Trump in New York courts, and former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, who has been a prominent critic of Trump.

The memorandum indicates that the listed people shouldn't receive access to classified briefings such as the “President's Daily Brief” and that, if any of them have received security clearances as the result of employment with a private-sector entity, that entity should be notified that their clearances have been revoked.

Paul Weiss. Trump also issued an executive order "Addressing Remedial Action by Paul Weiss," rescinding a March 14, 2025, order that had accused the prominent law firm of participating in "harmful activity" and restricted its relationship with the federal government and contractors.

In the initial order, the president had accused former Paul Weiss partner Mark Pomerantz of unethical behavior while working for the Manhattan district attorney's office on an investigation of Trump. The initial order also alleged the law firm engaged in unlawfully discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. That order had called for Paul Weiss employees to have their security clearances suspended, the suspension of any government contracts with the firm, and limitations on Paul Weiss access to government buildings and personnel.

Trump's reconsideration came after "Paul Weiss indicated that it will engage in a remarkable change of course," according to Trump's new order. The law firm acknowledged the alleged "wrongdoing" by Pomerantz and agreed to adopt policies including politically neutral hiring and selection of clients, taking on pro bono work from across "the political spectrum," moving away from DEI-based employment practices, and dedicating "the equivalent of $40 million" to causes including veterans, judicial fairness, and combating antisemitism.

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