In a span of just 90 minutes on Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s administration faced a series of legal setbacks as three federal judges ruled against key policies. The rulings, which span issues of federal spending, refugee admissions, and foreign aid, display the judicial obstacles confronting the administration early in its second term.
These cases show the judiciary’s pivotal role in checking the executive branch and the increasing willingness of courts to push back against the administration’s initiatives.
One significant defeat came in the form of a preliminary injunction issued by Judge Loren AliKhan of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. This injunction indefinitely blocks the administration’s attempt to freeze federal grants and loans.
“In the simplest terms, the freeze was ill-conceived from the beginning,” AliKhan stated.
“Defendants either wanted to pause up to $3 trillion in federal spending practically overnight, or they expected each federal agency to review every single one of its grants, loans, and funds for compliance in less than twenty-four hours,” she added. “The breadth of that command is almost unfathomable.”
This freeze was part of an effort by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, to curtail federal expenditures. The legality of DOGE itself has also been questioned, with some critics claiming it doesn’t adhere to the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
Another setback occurred when a judge in Washington state federal court blocked President Trump’s executive order halting the nation’s Refugee Admissions Program.
“The president has substantial discretion to suspend refugee admissions. But that authority is not limitless,” Judge Jamal Whitehead stated.
The ruling is part of a larger legal battle against the administration’s immigration policies, with several challenges already in the courts.
In the third case, Judge Amir Ali in D.C. federal court, for a third time, ordered the Trump administration to release foreign aid funds. This order followed accusations that the administration had not complied with Ali’s previous temporary restraining order to reinstate funding contracts and grants that were in effect at the end of the previous administration.
The withholding of federal funds has become a contentious issue, with other lawsuits challenging the suspension of all foreign assistance.