The Department of Justice asked a judge on Friday to recuse herself from a case involving President Donald Trump‘s fight with the Democratic-aligned law firm Perkins Coie, alleging she has shown a “pattern of hostility” toward Trump that renders her incapable of being impartial.

When Perkins Coie challenged the Trump administration’s controversial executive order in court earlier this month, it stood alone. Now, two more of the United States’ most prominent law firms – WilmerHale and Jenner & Block – have joined the legal battle,

As we were reminded when Trump appointee Aileen Cannon presided over the classified documents case, it’s difficult to force a trial judge’s recusal.

Seattle-based Perkins Coie's political law practice was a major force in state and national Democratic politics. But that success came at a cost.

The judge overseeing Perkins Coie’s lawsuit responding to President Donald Trump’s executive order should be disqualified from the case, lawyers for the administration said.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the defendants’ motion to disqualify her “relies only on speculation, innuendo, and basic legal disagreements that provide no basis for disqualification of a judge.

A couple weeks after a federal judge blocked a similar order targeting Perkins Cole, two more firms filed separate suits seeking to prevent President Donald Trump from punishing them for past investigations.