Forty-three Gould School of Law faculty wrote and signed a letter addressed to Gould students April 2, condemning the Trump administration’s executive actions targeting attorneys, judges and law firms. The letter was first reported on by Annenberg Media.

The faculty wrote that the threats against legal professionals infringe on the Constitution’s First, Fifth and Sixth Amendments. The letter also noted international students at USC have reported “fear of imprisonment or deportation for lawful speech and political activism,” conflicting with the First Amendment’s protections.  

“While reasonable people may disagree about the characterization of particular incidents, we are all deeply concerned that severe challenges to the rule of law are taking place, and we strongly condemn any effort to undermine the basic norms we have described,” the letter read.

The letter comes after President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders authorizing the termination of security clearances and federal contracts with major law firms, including Paul Weiss, Perkins Coie, Covington & Burling and Jenner & Block.

Many of the targeted law firms have been involved in lawsuits against the Trump administration or have employed attorneys who challenged its agenda.

The Gould faculty’s letter was adapted from a similar letter signed by 82 Harvard Law School professors released March 29. Last month, Gould Dean Franita Tolson joined 78 other law deans in signing a separate letter condemning the administration for punishing lawyers and law firms for the clients they represent.

“We thus speak as legal educators, responsible for training the next generation of lawyers, in condemning any government efforts to punish lawyers or their firms based on the identity of their clients or for their zealous, lawful and ethical advocacy,” the letter signed by Tolson read.