Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Attempt to Revoke Whistleblower Lawyer's Security Clearance
A US federal judge has blocked the White House's bid to revoke the security clearance of attorney Mark Zaid, who represents whistleblowers in national security cases. The move comes after Zaid sued the administration in May over the revocation of his clearance.
Zaid, who previously represented a whistleblower at the center of Donald Trump's first impeachment, had argued that the revocation was "improper political retribution" aimed at silencing him. His decision to sue was made after the White House revoked his clearance in March, citing his representation of clients who were deemed enemies by the administration.
However, a federal judge has now ruled that Zaid's security clearance should be restored, stating that it was revoked solely due to his work with whistleblowers. The ruling comes after Zaid filed for a preliminary injunction in December, which required the administration to immediately and fully restore his clearance.
The White House had previously stated that revoking Zaid's clearance was necessary due to his representation of clients who had access to classified information. However, the judge has now found that this reason was "unduly broad" and denied Zaid a fair assessment process.
In a statement posted on X, Zaid announced on Monday evening that his security clearance was no longer in effect, following the judge's ruling. The move marks a significant victory for Zaid, who can once again represent clients with access to classified information without fear of retribution.
A US federal judge has blocked the White House's bid to revoke the security clearance of attorney Mark Zaid, who represents whistleblowers in national security cases. The move comes after Zaid sued the administration in May over the revocation of his clearance.
Zaid, who previously represented a whistleblower at the center of Donald Trump's first impeachment, had argued that the revocation was "improper political retribution" aimed at silencing him. His decision to sue was made after the White House revoked his clearance in March, citing his representation of clients who were deemed enemies by the administration.
However, a federal judge has now ruled that Zaid's security clearance should be restored, stating that it was revoked solely due to his work with whistleblowers. The ruling comes after Zaid filed for a preliminary injunction in December, which required the administration to immediately and fully restore his clearance.
The White House had previously stated that revoking Zaid's clearance was necessary due to his representation of clients who had access to classified information. However, the judge has now found that this reason was "unduly broad" and denied Zaid a fair assessment process.
In a statement posted on X, Zaid announced on Monday evening that his security clearance was no longer in effect, following the judge's ruling. The move marks a significant victory for Zaid, who can once again represent clients with access to classified information without fear of retribution.
. I mean, what's next? They're gonna try to revoke security clearances for all journalists and reporters who ask tough questions? Or maybe they'll start requiring lawyers to sign a non-disclosure agreement before they can even think about representing clients with access to classified info... it's like they want to make sure only their buddies get the information 
. And what's up with this whole "improper political retribution" thing? Can't be more clear than that - they're trying to punish someone for doing their job 
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. I mean, come on, you're gonna revoke someone's security clearance just 'cause they got involved with some whistleblowers? It sounds like a total abuse of power to me. If the admin can do that to Zaid, who represents clients in national security cases, what's to stop them from doing it to anyone else? The fact that this judge is allowing it says something about how messed up our system is 
. I'm not saying Zaid did anything wrong, but the principle of the thing is that his clearance should be restored ASAP 
. This judge's decision is a big win for free speech and the rule of law, and I'm glad to see someone fighting back against this kind of "improper political retribution". It's not about being partisan; it's about doing what's right 
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I'm so stoked about this news!!! A federal judge just saved Mark Zaid's butt and restored his security clearance 
. It's like the universe was on his side all along! I mean, who wouldn't want to protect a whistleblower lawyer from "improper political retribution" 
? The fact that the White House tried to revoke his clearance in the first place is just wild 
. But the judge wasn't having it and blocked their attempt. It's all about fairness and justice now! 
Mark Zaid can finally represent those clients without worrying about being silenced 
. What a win for freedom of speech and the rule of law 
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what's next revoking santa claus' clearance? 
️ anyway, gotta respect the judge for not letting politics dictate who gets access to top secret info - that's like, national security 101 
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!!! can u believe that Mark Zaid was going through all that stress just because he represented whistleblowers? it's like the White House thought they could silence him or something 
but in the end, justice prevailed and his security clearance is back on 
he's literally a hero to me! 
I mean what even is the point of having a security clearance if you're just gonna revoke it because someone doesn't like you?! 
It's like they're trying to silence him or something.
. It's like they're saying "don't talk about what we're doing wrong". But in this case, the judge saw through it and said nope, you can't do that without a good reason 
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and zaid's been doing amazing work with them 
can't wait to see how this all plays out! 
It's crazy that they thought it was okay to try to silence a lawyer just for doing his job 
I mean, if you're going to take on national security cases, you should be able to do so without fear of retribution 
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. Fingers crossed this decision sets a precedent for others who might be going through similar situations 
. And now his clearance is back on, which is a major win for him and all the other whistleblowers out there who are gonna be able to come forward without fear of retribution. Good for Mark Zaid, good for justice