While the Republicans have control of Congress, President Trump faces significant obstacles in implementing his agenda due to court decisions. The lower courts have issued more injunctions against Trump’s executive orders in his first two months than they did for other recent presidents throughout their entire terms. This year alone, at least 15 national injunctions have been imposed against Trump, surpassing the numbers for George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden during their presidencies. If this trend continues, Trump could face more nationwide injunctions than he did in his entire first term.
Trump’s administration has faced hindrances in implementing policies such as ending birthright citizenship due to these injunctions, prompting efforts to challenge them in the Supreme Court. Justices Alito and Gorsuch have criticized the increasing use of nationwide injunctions by lower courts, questioning their authority. Despite the administration’s efforts to appeal these decisions, the process is time-consuming and costly.
There have been suggestions of defying court orders or impeaching judges who rule against Trump’s agenda, but Chief Justice John Roberts has cautioned against such actions. The ongoing debates in the judiciary highlight the challenges faced by the Trump administration in navigating legal hurdles to enact its policies.”
“In the past two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement with a judicial decision,” stated the chief justice last week, refraining from mentioning Trump by name. “The usual appellate review process is in place for that purpose.” US District Court Judge James Boasberg is currently examining whether the Trump administration violated his directive regarding the transfer of accused migrant gang members to prisons in El Salvador. Trump has downplayed Roberts’ criticisms and indicated that he will not go against the courts. Judge Boasberg is investigating if Trump ignored his 14-day injunction preventing flights to El Salvador for detaining alleged Venezuelan gang members there. Despite the court order, several flights proceeded as scheduled. Critics, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have voiced concerns about a potential constitutional crisis if Trump continues to disregard such court rulings. Trump has retaliated against certain lawyers and law firms obstructing his agenda by revoking their security clearances and terminating government contracts through executive actions. Recently, Trump instructed US Attorney General Pam Bondi to explore options for the administration to penalize firms and attorneys filing “frivolous” lawsuits against the government.
