Washington (AP) – A familiar series of events unfolds: Lower Court judges block portions of the agenda of President Donald Trump, the appeals panel declines to delay the order during the ongoing lawsuit, and the Department of Justice is headed to the Supreme Court.
Since Trump began his second term, attorneys from his administration have filed emergency appeals to the nation’s Supreme Court, on average, less than once a week involving cases at the national level.
The courts are not asked to make definitive rulings but to establish procedural guidelines as they navigate through the cases.
So far, the judge has issued orders in 13 cases. The Trump administration has seen more victories than losses, including two rulings on Friday where the high court blocked lower court orders aimed at enhancing government efficiency.
Notably, among the administration’s victories was an order enforcing the prohibition against transgender military service members. However, one of the setbacks involved restrictions on using 18th-century wartime legislation, commonly referred to as alien enemy laws, affecting deported Venezuelans connected to a gang at a notorious prison in El Salvador.
Two new cases emerged this week, including one on Friday.
Education department dismissed nearly 1,400 employees
A federal judge in Boston blocked Trump’s initiative to recover and dismantle the division, which was a key campaign promise.
In a ruling last month, US District Judge Myung Jun stated that the layoffs “could severely diminish the department’s functionality.” The federal appeals court in Boston rejected an urgent request from the administration to pause Judge Jun’s order.
On Friday, Attorney General John Sauer argued before the Supreme Court that Judge Jun was overstepping his authority and imposing his policy preferences over those of the Trump administration.
The layoffs aim to implement a “streamlined policy that delegates better discretionary functions to the states, according to the administration’s perspective.”
Massachusetts school districts, educational organizations, and Democratic-led states challenging Trump’s plan will have a week to respond.
Another judge halted plans to reduce the federal workforce
On Monday, Sauer updated the administration’s petition to the High Court regarding the downsizing plan, amid ongoing lawsuits from labor unions and municipalities.
The High Court application followed the appeals court’s refusal to suspend a California judge’s order halting cuts from the Government Efficiency Bureau. The Appeals Court determined that the downsizing could impact various sectors, including food safety and veteran healthcare.
In a ruling last month, US District Judge Susan Ilston found that the Trump administration would require Congressional approval to significantly reduce the federal workforce.
The administration initially asked the Justice Department to intervene last month, but later retracted the lawsuit citing technical legal reasons.
Plaintiffs have a Monday deadline to respond.
The judge condemned the administration’s deportations to South Sudan
The Trump administration’s latest appeal requests the High Court to suspend orders from US District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston. The White House violated previous directives by Judge Murphy, which concerned deportation flights for African nations that also included individuals convicted of crimes in the US.
Judge Murphy emphasized that those immigrants must have a legitimate opportunity to demonstrate their fear of potential danger if repatriated.
Attorney General John Sauer, representing Trump at the Supreme Court, has sought an immediate high court ruling to allow third-country deportations to resume.
Judge Murphy has impeded efforts to deport migrants unable to return to their home countries, according to Sauer. He indicated that finding nations willing to accept these individuals presents a “sensitive diplomatic challenge,” and the court’s requirements are causing significant delays.
The court is poised to act at any time.
Trump seeks to alter citizenship rules upheld for over 125 years
Several judges have promptly blocked an executive order signed by Trump on his first day in office that aimed to deny citizenship to children born to individuals in the country unlawfully or on a temporary basis.
The administration has appealed three court orders that prevent these changes from being implemented nationwide.
In early May, a judge took a notable step by hearing the arguments on an emergency appeal. The case’s trajectory remains uncertain, but it appears the court intends to suspend changes while exploring avenues to invalidate existing court orders across the country.
One avenue considered by some justices involves identifying another legal method, possibly a class-action lawsuit, that could effectively mirror a national injunction challenging Trump’s civil rights order.
National injunctions have emerged as a vital check on Trump’s initiatives to reshape governance and have become a source of growing frustration for the Republican President and his allies.
Judges have issued 40 national injunctions since Trump began his second term in January, according to Sauer’s statements during deliberations.
The court is expected to take action soon, most likely by early summer.
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Source: apnews.com