Judges Strike Back as Trump’s Executive Order Blitz Hits Legal Roadblocks Nationwide

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Alexis N. Crockett
February 10, 2025
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6 minutes read

(Photographer: Jim Watson/AFP)

Former President Donald Trump’s rapid-fire executive orders aimed at reshaping the government are facing strong resistance from the judiciary, with judges across the country expressing frustration and blocking key initiatives.

According to Politico’s Kyle Cheney, more than nine federal judges have stepped in to challenge the Trump administration’s sweeping changes, which critics describe as a “shock and awe” campaign to upend democratic norms.

Trump’s agenda suffered major setbacks on Friday when U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, temporarily halted an effort to place 2,200 USAID employees on leave. This was followed by Judge Paul Engelmayer blocking Musk and his young DOGE staffers from accessing sensitive Treasury records, dealing another blow to the administration’s aggressive push for control over government data.

Some of the rulings have contained unusually sharp rebukes of Trump’s approach to governance. Longtime U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, appointed by Ronald Reagan, strongly criticized the administration’s attempt to undermine birthright citizenship.

Donald Trump in New York City on Nov. 6, 2023. Adam Gray / AFP via Getty Images file

“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,” Coughenour wrote in his ruling. As Politico’s Cheney noted, this level of judicial scrutiny stands in stark contrast to the GOP-led Congress, which has largely enabled Trump’s efforts to expand executive power.

“For now, the initial decisions to slow down the onslaught are having widespread effects, forcing federal agencies to disclose more details about their opaque plans for the workforce, establishing guidelines for the handling of sensitive government data that Musk’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ has been gobbling up and raising sharp questions about Trump’s effort to impound swaths of government spending authorized by Congress,” Cheney reported.

The legal battles highlight a growing divide between the judiciary and the executive branch, with judges signaling that Trump’s broad use of executive power may not go unchecked. As courts continue to weigh in, the administration’s ability to implement its sweeping changes remains uncertain.