WASHINGTON—A federal judge blocked most of a White House executive order punishing Perkins Coie, saying the administration had put itself at odds with the First Amendment by targeting the law firm based on President Trump’s dislike of its work for his political opponents.

A D.C. federal judge said she will temporarily halt a Trump executive order targeting the law firm Perkins Coie, which represented Hillary Clinton.

The battle between President Trump and a prominent Washington law firm has taken a new turn this week, as a judge intervenes to pause Trump’s actions. The controversy kicked off when Trump targeted the firm,