Washington DC - The Department of Justice moved Tuesday to reverse course after abruptly abandoning its defense of sanctions imposed on law firms seen as hostile to President Donald Trump and his agenda.

Trump signed executive orders targeting several firms last spring, revoking their lawyers' security clearances, restricting their access to federal buildings and officials, and terminating government contracts.

The firms Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner and Block, and Susman Godfrey challenged the orders in court, with judges ultimately ruling the orders unconstitutional.

Though the DOJ appealed those decisions, it dropped the appeals on Monday, according to court filings.

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But in a sudden about-face, the department asked the appeals court on Tuesday to reinstate the cases.

In its filing, the government acknowledged the firms oppose the "unexplained request," but argued that because the appeals court has not yet ruled, it retains the authority to proceed.

In a statement, Susman Godfrey said the government had "abandoned any attempt to defend the indefensible executive order against our firm."

WilmerHale and Jenner and Block were linked to former special counsel Robert Mueller, who investigated Russian interference in favor of Trump in the 2016 election.

Perkins Coie represented Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, during which she ran against Trump, and was involved in the preparation of documents related to Trump's ties to Russia.

To avoid sanctions, other firms reached agreements with Trump's administration, offering legal services pro bono to causes he supports.