President Donald Trump encountered five significant legal setbacks on Monday.
In one case, a judge ruled that the former head of the federal agency responsible for protecting whistleblowers must be reinstated, while in another, a judge ordered the Trump administration to fully halt its plans to freeze federal funding.
Trump began his second term with an ambitious agenda to reshape the U.S. government, issuing executive orders on issues like immigration, foreign aid, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
His administration also focused on dismantling government agencies and reducing the federal workforce. However, these efforts have encountered legal challenges and growing opposition from the courts, leading key administration officials to question the judiciary's role as a check on executive power.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson issued a ruling after Hampton Dellinger sued Trump over his removal as the head of the Office of Special Counsel. The judge ordered that Dellinger be allowed to remain in the role until Thursday at midnight while considering his request for a temporary restraining order to keep him in place.
In another case, U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell Jr. found that the Trump administration had not fully adhered to his earlier order to unfreeze federal spending. He ordered the administration to "immediately take every step necessary" to comply with his temporary restraining order halting the planned freeze. The administration has appealed the ruling.
Elsewhere, U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante became the third federal judge to block Trump's executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children of people living in the U.S. illegally. Laplante rejected the administration's defense of the order and indicated he would issue a more detailed preliminary injunction later, according to the Associated Press.
Additionally, U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr. decided to keep in place an order blocking an attempt to push out federal workers. O'Toole had paused the deferred resignation program the previous week, and on Monday, he confirmed that the stay would remain until he ruled on lawsuits filed by multiple workers' unions.
In yet another case, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley blocked the Trump administration's efforts to cut billions of dollars in health research grants. This decision followed a lawsuit by Democratic attorneys general from 22 states to prevent the cuts.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told *Newsweek* that "The Executive Orders issued by the President on funding reviews remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented by all agencies and departments."
Vice President JD Vance commented on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday: "If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal. Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power."
Legal challenges to Trump's executive orders continue to progress through the courts.
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