Akin Secures AmLaw Litigator of the Week Shout Out in Landmark First Amendment Case
Akin Supreme Court & appellate partner Julius Chen and practice head Pratik Shah have earned a Litigator of the Week “shout-out” from The American Lawyer’s Litigation Daily.
The team won in a First Amendment case against the U.S. government, successfully obtaining a declaration and permanent injunction from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for client Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) against enforcement of an Executive Order that targeted PBS for its protected speech.
In May 2025, PBS and a local PBS station filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government’s May 1 executive order instructing federal agencies to terminate all federal funding for PBS. They alleged that the executive order violates federal laws as well as the First Amendment and sought a declaration of illegality and a permanent injunction against various federal officials and agencies.
On cross-motions for summary judgment, the court ruled on March 31, 2026, that the executive order violates the First Amendment because it suppresses PBS’s views and is retaliatory.
In addition to Julius Chen and Pratik Shah, the Akin team also included congressional investigations co-head Abigail Kohlman.
