WASHINGTON — Two prominent law firms targeted by the White House sued Friday over virtually identical executive orders, pushing back against edicts meant to punish them for their association with attorneys who have previously investigated President Donald Trump.

The federal complaints filed by Jenner & Block and WilmerHale urge judges to block enforcement of the orders, which seek among other sanctions to suspend security clearances of the firms’ lawyers and restrict their employees from having access to federal buildings.

The firms say in their lawsuits that the orders, part of a spate of similar actions taken by Trump over the past month, amount to an assault on the bedrock foundations of the legal system and are an unconstitutional form of presidential retaliation.

“Our Constitution, top to bottom, forbids attempts by the government to punish citizens and lawyers based on the clients they represent, the positions they advocate, the opinions they voice, and the people with whom they associate,” said the complaint from Jenner & Block, filed in federal court in Washington.

The law firms say the days-old orders have already affected their business, with Jenner & Block saying that one client has been notified by the Justice Department that the firm cannot attend a meeting at the building next week.

The executive order against Jenner & Block this week stemmed from the fact that the firm once employed Andrew Weissmann, a lawyer who served on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team that investigated Trump during his first term in office.

Weissmann left the law firm four years ago.