Some parts of U.S. President Donald Trump's federal government restructuring plan are being halted by the courts. Critics argue that the radical federal government reorganization pushed by Trump's second-term administration infringes on Congress's legislative authority and contradicts long-established legal principles upheld by the judiciary.
On the 8th (local time), the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York temporarily suspended the Treasury Department payment system access rights granted to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and a close ally of Trump.
The court ruled that if DOGE's access rights were maintained, irreparable harm could occur, and determined that political appointees and special officials not affiliated with the Treasury Department cannot access the Treasury payment system.
Earlier, attorneys general from 19 Democratic-led states, including New York and California, filed a lawsuit claiming that the Trump administration's granting of access to the Treasury's core payment system to DOGE violated federal law. On the 7th, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered a temporary halt to the Trump administration's restructuring plan for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which included placing 2,200 USAID employees on paid administrative leave first and recalling most overseas staff within a month.
Trump's executive orders restricting birthright citizenship have also been repeatedly blocked by courts. On the 23rd of last month, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ruled that Trump's birthright citizenship restriction executive order was "clearly unconstitutional" and suspended its effect for 14 days. Subsequently, on the 5th, the U.S. District Court for Maryland also ruled that the executive order violated the 250-year history of birthright citizenship in the United States.
The courts have also put brakes on Trump's plans for 'retaliatory' dismissals. Earlier this month, a Washington court ruled that the government could not disclose the names of FBI agents who investigated the January 2021 Capitol riot. The Trump administration had planned to dismiss FBI agents and federal prosecutors involved in the Capitol investigation and had ordered U.S. Attorneys to submit their names.
The Trump administration argues that the government restructuring plan aims to reduce unnecessary spending and make the government more efficient. Although temporarily halted by the courts, the administration believes its legitimacy will be recognized during the main trial.
However, there are concerns that this restructuring violates not only laws passed and enacted by Congress but also legal principles established by the judiciary over decades. In particular, measures targeting legal protections for federal government employees are seen as potentially problematic.
As Trump aggressively pushes for large-scale federal government restructuring and retaliatory dismissals upon starting his second term, the New York Times (NYT) reported that lawyers specializing in employment law are flocking to Washington, D.C. Legal battles against the Trump administration could take several months until the main case ruling is issued. Especially in cases where presidential executive orders directly conflict with Congress's legislative authority, the NYT predicts the matter could reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
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