The courts take on Trump
President Donald Trump’s second term has been defined by a flood of executive orders — many of them legally questionable. And for now, the courts are emerging as one of the few institutions able to potentially check his most extreme policies.
This week, a second federal court issued a preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, a rebuke of his immigration agenda. Notably, the ruling came from U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, a President Ronald Reagan appointee, who didn’t mince words:
It has become ever more apparent that to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals. The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for political or personal gain.
Judge John Coughenour
The courts will not be able to stop every Trump policy. But with Democrats in the minority in both chambers of Congress, lawsuits are one clear way to challenge Trump’s agenda.
Where the courts have already blocked Trump:
- Two federal judges have temporarily blocked Trump’s push to end birthright citizenship — one Democratic and one Republican appointee.
- Another judge, appointed by Reagan, temporarily halted Trump’s effort to transfer trans women to men’s prisons.
- A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked Trump’s federal employee buyout program to allow time for a hearing on federal labor unions’ request to block the program.
- A federal judge in the District of Columbia temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s freeze on federal grants and loans.
- Another federal judge in the District of Columbia temporarily barred the Justice Department from disclosing information about FBI agents involved in Jan. 6 investigations.
Major incoming lawsuits:
- The AFL-CIO has sued to block Elon Musk’s DOGE employees from accessing sensitive personal data of seniors stored by the Department of Labor.
- Higher education groups are suing the Trump administration over its executive orders to eliminate DEI positions.
The legal battles against Trump are beginning, and while not every case will go in Democrats’ favor, the judiciary is currently one of the few checks on Trump’s power — and one worth watching closely.
Coming on Monday: My new podcast, ‘The Blueprint’
Since the 2024 election, and like many of you, I’ve been asking two big questions: What just happened? And more importantly, where do Democrats go from here?
To get some answers, I started making a list of people I wanted to talk to. Some I’ve known for years. Others are fresh voices with bold ideas about what it’s going to take to win again.
“The Blueprint” — a new podcast where I sit down for long-form conversations about the future of the Democratic Party and the path forward — starts Monday, Feb. 10.
We’re kicking off with two fantastic guests:
Wes Moore: Maryland’s rising-star governor who actually talks like a normal person about the issues that matter.
Jack Schlossberg: Yes, he’s a Kennedy. But lately, he’s been making waves online, sometimes for taking social media trolling of JD Vance and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to new heights.
I can’t wait for you to hear these conversations. Episodes drop Monday, so be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts!