Contempt
Week of April 11-17, 2025
Welcome to TRACKING THE CRISIS, a weekly round-up from The Democracy Collaborative tracking the administrative, legislative, and other actions of the new Trump Administration as well as the many forms of legal and movement response from across a broad range of social, political, and economic actors. TDC is providing this service for collective informational purposes, as a tool for understanding the times during a period of disorientingly rapid flux and change in the U.S. political economy. TDC should not be understood as endorsing or otherwise any of the specific content of the information round-up.
TRUMP TRACKER: Administration actions
Case of mistakenly deported man Kilmar Abrego Garcia escalates into constitutional crisis as Trump, Bukele continue to defy courts over due process. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man that the Trump Administration admittedly deported in error, continues to be held in El Salvador’s CECOT prison despite repeated court orders, affirmed by a 9-0 decision from the Supreme Court, to facilitate his return to the United States. In a meeting with Trump on Monday, April 14, Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele said he would not return Garcia to the United States, claiming he has no power to release him; while Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed it was ‘up to El Salvador’ to decide on Garcia’s release. On Tuesday, April 15, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the Justice Department to produce records and sworn statements regarding U.S. efforts, or lack thereof, to return Garcia as ordered. Kilmar Abrego Garcia has not been charged with any crime, despite border czar Tom Homan’s unproven claims of his ‘terrorist’ and/or gang affiliation; this week, it was found that the initial report of Garcia’s alleged MS-13 ties were made by a disgraced Maryland police officer and had little to no consistency with known facts about MS-13. Legal observers warn that the Trump Administration’s open defiance of the courts in this particular case “is an expression of obvious contempt…for the rule of law,” precipitating a constitutional crisis in a very dangerous sense, as it would mean the Administration is claiming the power to remove anyone from the United States without due process. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller delivered an “outrageous misinterpretation” of the Supreme Court ruling in his remarks before Trump’s meeting with Bukele, and Vice President JD Vance was condemned for claiming the right of due process was arbitrary and not a function of the Constitution. On Thursday, April 17, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals shot down the Trump Administration’s bid to stay the order to return Garcia; Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson excoriated the Trump Administration’s “perception of…lawlessness”, warning that the Administration "is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order." This week’s rulings leave open the possibility of contempt charges against the Trump Administration. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador this week in an attempt to visit Garcia at the prison; while initially being refused by the government, Van Hollen was able to see Garcia late Thursday and confirm his health and current status.
Mass deportation push now targeting U.S. citizens as Trump floats idea of rendering ‘homegrowns’ to El Salvador prison. In a ‘hot-mic’ moment during Trump’s meeting with Salvadoran president Bukele on Monday, April 14, Trump is heard telling Bukele that “home-grown criminals are next” and that El Salvador will have to build “five more places” to imprison people detained by the Trump Administration. During Trump’s meeting with Bukele, the two discussed exporting “as many [‘illegal’ criminals] as possible” to El Salvador, where Bukele has already announced plans to double the size of CECOT, the largest prison in the world, to hold U.S. deportees. Mother Jones featured an interview this week with Carlos Dada, director of Latin America’s El Faro newspaper, detailing the history and context around the CECOT prison and Bukele’s partnership with the Trump Administration. Trump has touted his goal of deporting 1 million immigrants in his first year in office, as Marco Rubio announced that ten more migrants were deported over the weekend to El Salvador. Despite Trump Administration claims that the over 270 migrants deported to CECOT so far are ‘dangerous criminals’ and ‘terrorists,’ evidence has shown that 90% of the migrants rendered have no criminal record; reports also surfaced this week that 19-year-old asylum seeker Merwil Gutierrez was caught up by ICE agents looking for someone else and sent to CECOT anyway without due process. As another group of migrants is slated to be rendered this week from Colorado under the Alien Enemies Act, an analysis published in the New York Times notes that migrants deported by Trump have been given fewer rights than internees detained under the Act during World War II. D.C. District Judge James Boasberg announced on Thursday, April 17 that he would launch proceedings toward bringing contempt charges against the Trump Administration, having found probable cause over the Administration’s defiance of court orders in regard to the deportations. As Trump and AG Pam Bondi explore plans to deport U.S. citizens to foreign prisons, which experts decry as ‘wildly’ unconstitutional, U.S. citizens are already being targeted for deportation, including two Massachusetts immigration lawyers who received notices from DHS to ‘self-deport’ and Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez, a citizen born in Georgia who was detained by ICE in Florida for being an ‘unauthorized alien’; despite his mother showing his birth certificate in court, the judge said she was ‘obliged’ to ignore his documented proof of citizenship. A dozen members of Congress wrote to the Trump Administration demanding answers on citizen detentions and have not, as of this writing, received a response. Also on Thursday, the Supreme Court announced it will hear arguments on the Trump Administration’s bid to end birthright citizenship.
More tourists detained, asylum seekers lose legal status as Trump Administration, DHS work with DOGE to use federal data to find people to deport. Several tourists detained by ICE have spoken out about their experiences in being ‘treated like criminals’, including an Australian MMA coach visiting the U.S. to teach a seminar and another Australian green-card holder returning to the U.S. after his sister’s memorial. This week, China joined the list of a dozen countries that have issued travel warnings for tourists planning to visit the United States. The Committee to Protect Journalists has also issued a travel safety advisory for foreign reporters, including a list of risks travelers face upon entry; and Canadian businesses and public institutions are advising staff to avoid traveling to the United States or to use ‘burner’ devices if they must travel to navigate customs searches. All foreign nationals planning to stay in the United States for 30 days or longer are now required to register with the U.S. government. Bloomberg reports that the U.S. economy stands to lose up to $90 billion in GDP this year from reduced tourism, which is down nearly 10% from March 2024. On Thursday, April 10, a judge allowed the Trump Administration to move forward with a requirement that everyone in the United States illegally must register with the government and carry documentation with them at all times. The Trump Administration also ended protected status for asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Cameroon this week, and directed immigration judges to deny asylum without hearings, which it claims will ‘clear the backlog’ of legal immigration cases and speed up deportations. This week, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Jon Ossoff penned a bipartisan letter rebuking the Trump Administration for ending legal aid for over 26,000 unaccompanied minors in the United States. As DOGE pushes for access to sensitive data at more federal agencies, reports this week reveal DOGE’s intentions to share data with ICE from Medicare, the IRS, HUD and Social Security to identify and locate migrants for deportation; and the Atlantic details the massive increase in ICE funding for deportations slated in the GOP’s proposed budget plan. The Intercept reports on a little-known nonprofit that is tracking data on remittances sent from migrant workers to families in their home countries via Western Union and sharing the data with ICE; and the New York Times reports on Geo Group, a private prison firm making millions from surveillance technology now being used in the Trump Administration’s deportation program.
Another Columbia student detained by ICE as Mahmoud Khalil suffers setback in bid to stay in the country. On Monday, April 14, ICE arrested Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student activist at Columbia University and 10-year green card holder, as he arrived at a Vermont immigration office to complete his citizenship test. According to a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mahdawi, a leader in the pro-Palestine protest movement in 2024, was detained because his presence in the United States could ‘potentially undermine’ the peace process in Gaza. Mahdawi was named in a right-wing Zionist group’s list of ‘antisemitic’ pro-Palestine movement organizers earlier this year, although Mahdawi’s Israeli friend and fellow Columbia student Mikey Baratz insists Mahdawi has always stood against both violence and antisemitism. Drop Site News reports that the State Department relied on Columbia University’s mischaracterization of pro-Palestine protests last year as a justification to detain Mahdawi. On Friday, April 11, a federal judge ruled that the Trump Administration can proceed with the deportation of Columbia student activist Mahmoud Khalil, although Khalil’s lawyers have vowed to continue fighting in the courts. In the case of detained Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk, reports surfaced this week that the State Department found no evidence justifying her detention days before she was arrested anyway by DHS.
Trump Administration freezes funding, threatens to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status. While many in academia have denounced Columbia’s capitulation to Trump Administration pressure to assert control over academic departments and student procedures, Harvard University decided to stand firm against Trump Administration demands to control hiring practices and hand over international student records to DHS, among other policy changes. In retaliation, the Trump Administration has frozen $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard, and is now threatening the institution’s tax exempt status as well as its eligibility to host international students. Semafor reports that the White House is also targeting universities’ endowment investments, particularly in Chinese enterprises and clean energy, to pressure institutions to bow to its demands. At stake in the pressure campaign against universities, experts say, is not ‘combating antisemitism’ as the Trump Administration claims, but a broader effort to tilt the ideological direction of higher education toward conservative viewpoints. The Wall Street Journal reports on how a little-known task force within the Trump Administration aims to realign university practices with MAGA aims to shift the culture within education and society. The Washington Post discusses the limits of the law in terms of revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status, which has implications for nonprofit organizations more broadly. As graduate student enrollment drops and scientific research feels the sting of funding freezes amid the high-stakes standoff, Harvard scientists stand behind the university’s refusal to capitulate and the Union of Concerned Scientists published a statement asserting that ‘losing academic freedom is too high a price’ to pay for continued federal support.
Market turmoil, dollar crisis deepens as Trump lashes out against Fed chair Jerome Powell for inaction amid tariff uncertainty. U.S. markets continued to slide this week amid uncertainty around Trump’s tariff war and a global sell-off of U.S. assets, with experts warning that a dreaded ‘death cross’ has emerged in the S&P 500 index this week, a phenomenon considered to be a harbinger of full-blown financial crisis. As the bond market displays continuing uncharacteristic instability, sparking fears of a dollar crisis, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has declined to use the Fed’s regulatory power to rescue Treasury markets and cut interest rates, declaring that the central bank is in a ‘challenging’ position in seeking to balance inflation and unemployment given the impact of tariffs on the economy. In response, Trump lashed out at Powell on social media over the Fed chair’s warnings of inflation and slow growth, claiming that the “USA is getting rich on tariffs” despite data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection showing that actual revenue is only one-tenth of the $2 billion per day Trump has claimed. Trump stated on Thursday that Powell ‘would resign if asked’, which Powell refuted immediately; reports say that Trump may try to enlist the Supreme Court to help him fire Powell, though Treasury Secretary Bessent has privately advised caution amid economists’ fears that firing the head of the U.S. central bank would be an even greater shock to an economy already at deep risk of crisis. The Washington Post discusses the legal implications of Trump’s desire to remove Powell from the Fed, while the Economist argues that precedent has always upheld independence of the central bank from presidential power.
U.S.-China trade tensions escalate as Europe scrambles to find positive footing in global markets. Tensions between the White House and Beijing escalated this week as the countries exchanged economic and rhetorical barbs in the ongoing trade war that threatens to decouple the world’s two largest economies. In response to Trump’s tariffs, China suspended critical exports of rare earth minerals, which are essential components for many modern devices from smartphones to U.S.-made cars and military equipment, while also using nontariff barriers to block key imports of U.S. agricultural and energy products. In retaliation, the Trump Administration launched a ‘critical minerals probe’ as well as targeting Nvidia processors crucial to China’s AI development, weighing new tariffs on China the White House said late Wednesday could total up to 245%. While rebuffing Trump threats of a 245% tariff as ‘meaningless,’ China touted its higher-than-expected Q1 growth, courting Southeast Asian and European leaders this week to seek alternative trade arrangements to buffer the effect of U.S. tariffs, and pivoted to Canada for energy deals. China also hit back at JD Vance’s comment disparaging ‘Chinese peasants,’ warning that when U.S. tariffs backfire, “peasants in the U.S.” would “wail in front of the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.” While the Trump Administration aims to use its tariffs to ‘isolate China’ by drawing allies more closely under its control, U.S. allies are largely electing to distance themselves from the confrontation between the two economic superpowers. European markets have benefited as investors seek refuge from the economic front lines, while energy concerns have set the eyes of some EU firms on a pivot to Russian oil as an alternative to dependence on U.S. energy markets. Far right Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni visited Trump at the White House this week hoping to temper tensions and broker a deal between the United States and Europe ahead of the 90-day tariff pause deadline. China indicated on Wednesday that it would be open to talks with the U.S. if the Trump Administration ‘showed more respect’ and appointed a point person to handle redrawing agreements between the two countries. As the international order pivots away from U.S. centrality, analyst Thomas Fazi views Trump’s trade war as a last-ditch effort to preserve U.S. full-spectrum dominance, as other observers fear that Trump’s aims in the U.S.-China trade war could degenerate into a dire conflict.
Women, minorities most impacted from public health cuts as national agency capacity declines; RFK Jr. pathologizes autism. As the federal workforce braces for another round of mass firings, tens of thousands of federal workers are accepting renewed buyout offers, citing the “psychological aggression” of continuing work amid DOGE interference and internal agency turmoil. One family of a federal worker who passed away recently cited the increased stresses and uncertainty at agencies as a factor in their loved one’s death. Law professor Marissa Jackson Sow points out that the Trump Administration’s suppression of DEI and federal workforce firings are linked in that a large part of the federal workforce is composed of Black and minority workers, claiming that the Trump Administration “seeks to bring about the economic immiseration of Black communities.” At the National Institutes for Health, 38 out of 43 experts cut from scientific review boards were women and/or minorities. Wired reports that deep cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services have left systems “on the verge of collapsing” as researchers at the NIH, CDC and FDA scramble to hold operations together amid what workers describe as an “existential” upheaval at the HHS. An internal document leaked to the Washington Post this week suggests up to one-third of HHS spending will be cut, along with a ‘major reshuffling’ of health and human services agencies. Some of the public health program cuts with life-threatening impacts on low-income and minority communities include: firing the entire staff of the Low Income Energy Assistance Program that helps poor communities with heating and cooling their homes; gutting a Native health program aimed at utilizing traditional foods and medicine to treat chronic diseases in Tribal communities; cutting short vital NIH research on youth violence prevention; workforce cuts and cyber vulnerabilities threatening the 988 crisis lifeline program; shuttering the CDC lab on hepatitis research in the middle of hepatitis outbreaks in several states; the departure of a leading NIH scientist researching ultraprocessed foods due to ‘censorship’ of his research; reduced CDC capacity to investigate a lead poisoning outbreak among children in Milwaukee; FDA plans to end routine food safety inspections; and the layoffs of 90% of staff at the CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, undermining the safety of farmworkers as the threat of avian flu looms. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also drew ire from researchers and families this week as he characterized autism as an ‘epidemic’ and ‘chronic disease’ citing vaccines and ‘environmental’ causes; Teen Vogue recalls RFK Jr’s previously stated aims to send neurodivergent and disabled children, particularly minorities, to be ‘reparented’ in so-called ‘wellness farms’.
Tracking the Money: conflicts of interest and privatization in the Trump administration. As critics slam the GOP-led budget plan to extend tax cuts as a ‘massive redistribution’ of wealth upwards to the rich, Trump’s nominee to lead the IRS, Billy Long, just had over $130,000 of his personal debt paid off this week by campaign donors tied to firms at the center of a pending criminal probe into abuse of tax credits. Long also reportedly pressured the IRS to target the Humane Society after the nonprofit launched an initiative to protect dogs, raising fears that Long would use his position to shut down the tax exempt status of any nonprofits with which he disagrees. Long also worked with the consulting firm Lifetime Advisors, which made a ‘booming business’ out of encouraging corporations to claim a COVID-era tax credit the IRS claimed became a ‘magnet for fraud.’ Watchdog group Accountable.us published research this week showing that 7 out of 10 Republican lawmakers would personally benefit from the tax plan, which would partially be paid for by deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP programs impacting poor and working-class communities in their districts. The Washington Post reports that in March, a Trump appointee at the Treasury Department asked the IRS to review audits of MyPillow executive Mike Lindell, a ‘high-profile’ friend of Trump whom he claimed was ‘unfairly targeted’ by the IRS. Amid deep layoffs at the IRS, including plans to end the government’s free online tax filing program, Lever News reports that the federal subsidies propping up the for-profit online tax preparation industry exceed the cost to maintain the government’s free program. The Wall Street Journal reports on how the Justice Department under the Trump Administration has backed away from nearly all white-collar crime enforcement, deepening a trend that Public Citizen points out was already well underway under Biden’s term. The Revolving Door Project reports on the many ties Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has with the billionaire class, and the Atlantic reports this week on how conflicts of interest have become routine under the Trump Administration. The forthcoming book ‘Hubris Maximus’ details how Elon Musk’s ire over a government investigation into Tesla may be fueling his push to gut government programs. Amid geopolitical tensions intensified by Trump’s tariff war, Trump Media-owned Truth Social announced the launch of a series of investment accounts tied to companies directly profiting from Trump’s economic agenda, while Musk’s SpaceX leads the pack for defense contracts for Trump’s Golden Dome missile shield initiative. Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor published an in-depth report in the Guardian this week on the rise of corporate city-state enterprises vying with the Trump Administration to establish “freedom cities” on federal lands as democracy- and regulation-free havens for corporations and the rich as they take advantage of “end times fascism.”
MOVEMENT TRACKER
Harvard University stands up to Trump Administration as higher education organizes, urges unity to protect academic freedom and international students. Harvard University’s decision to resist Trump Administration demands in the face of $2.2 billion in frozen federal funding has galvanized higher education to fight against Trump and the right’s pressure campaign to remake U.S. universities. Harvard’s official response to the Trump Administration declared that “the university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights”; and the university transformed its research homepage to reflect president Alan Garber’s message asserting academic freedom and its importance to scientific advancement. The New York Times outlines the details of the Trump Administration’s demands and the high-stakes standoff resulting from the university’s decision to resist. After Harvard’s high-profile pushback, other top schools such as Princeton, Stanford, and MIT have followed suit. Warriors coach Steve Kerr wore a Harvard shirt during his post-game press conference in solidarity with the university. While Alejandra Carballo on Bluesky notes that Harvard’s ability to borrow against its large endowment enables the university to hold out for at least a year against the Trump Administration’s funding freeze, Ashley Dawson argues in Truthout that other campuses must unite and work together to resist Trump’s broadside attack on higher education. On Thursday, April 17, students, faculty and workers across 150 campuses participated in demonstrations in a National Day of Action for Higher Education organized by the Coalition for Action in Higher Ed. Masha Gessen argues in the New York Times for a unified resistance strategy for higher education institutions based on re-centering focus on their core educational mission, taking lessons learned from intellectuals’ resistance to autocratic regimes in Eastern Europe.
Communities organize, succeed in protecting immigrants from ICE raids. Latinx and allied communities across the United States are mobilizing to both politically and physically defend immigrants from being taken in ICE raids. As law enforcement departments work with ICE despite sanctuary city laws, everyday people and businesses in cities like Durham, North Carolina are organizing on a community level to defend immigrant communities. Nonprofit Quarterly reports on the effective efforts of New York’s Immigrant Defense Project. This week, dozens of organizations gathered for the two-day Emergency Southwest Summit Against Deportations held in East Los Angeles, calling for “united resistance” to the Trump deportation agenda. Quakers and faith communities in Fayetteville, Arkansas published a resolution and plan this week to “provide shelter, cover, aid and advocacy” for their immigrant neighbors. Teen Vogue reports on how teachers are stepping up to provide protection and aid for immigrant students and their families, including training students in drills for what to do when ICE shows up on campuses. The Nevada Immigration Coalition has stepped up organizing and education efforts amid rumblings of increased ICE presence in Las Vegas and southern Nevada. High Country News reports on the vital role of Spanish-language radio in efforts to educate and protect immigrants in the Latinx community. Newsweek reports on new apps being developed to inform and protect migrants in real time. Unions such as United Teachers Los Angeles are including immigrant protections in their collective bargaining demands and agreements. Online activists organized an action this week to crash the ICE tip hotline by flooding the line with bogus calls. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has launched an online Community Resource toolkit with materials and tutorials in know-your-rights and rapid response along with links to legal aid resources.
Over 250,000 people attend Bernie Sanders/AOC ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ rallies as majority of Democratic base demands break from centrism. Truthout reports that a total of over a quarter million people have attended Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ events over the last few weeks. Sanders released a video on social media on Tuesday, April 16 featuring a crowd of over 36,000 people at last weekend’s rally in Los Angeles, asserting that these mass rallies for working-class solidarity are “scaring the hell” out of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. As Bernie and AOC drew a crowd of over 12,500 in Nampa, Idaho, local and state officials stressed the need for the people to “self-rescue” from Trump’s threatened cuts to Medicaid and the impact of Trump policies. AOC also hit a fundraising milestone this week as she raked in over $9.5 million exclusively from small-donor contributions. David Dayen reports in the American Prospect on the “two movements” vying for different visions of American society, and how the growing grassroots rebellion is fueling resistance to Trump’s authoritarian push at all levels. The Wall Street Journal reports on polls reflecting voters’ dissatisfaction with Trump’s economic agenda even before the tariffs took effect. A Harvard-Harris poll from April 9th showed that 72% of Democratic rank-and-file voters favor a shift within the Democratic Party away from traditional centrist approaches and toward “fighting harder” against Trump’s agenda.
Confrontational townhalls intensify as protestors tased by police at Marjorie Taylor Greene event. Angry constituents continued to confront lawmakers at town halls this week as most Republicans declined to hold events during Congressional recess. At a particularly contentious townhall with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, protestors were tased by police before being ejected from the event. In Iowa, Sen. Chuck Grassley was confronted by constituents urging him to “rein in the dictator” as he was asked questions like “Are you proud of Trump?” Florida Rep. Brian Mast was met with boos by constituents at a townhall in Jupiter on Tuesday. In Minnesota, talk of resisting Trump policies even dominated state legislator townhalls, as lawmakers were asked how they intended to resist the changes happening at the federal level. Democrats also welcomed comments from constituents at town halls, though Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado was confronted over his ‘collegial’ approach to Trump and his votes on Trump nominees, and urged to ‘fight harder’ against presidential overreach.
Organized labor unites to launch legal defense network for federal workers. This week, a coalition of labor unions and democracy organizations announced the launch of the Federal Workers Defense Network, a resource helping connect fired and threatened federal workers with free legal support. The network stands against DOGE’s efforts to undermine the rights and livelihoods of federal workers. AFL-CIO president Liz Schuler commented in a statement that “Getting these workers the justice they deserve in the face of this onslaught will take all of us… When we come together, we are stronger than any of us alone.” Laid-off federal workers can get more information and request legal assistance at this link.
Upcoming Protests and Events.
Saturday, April 19th: The 50501 Movement has called for another National Day of Action in all 50 states. Information on local events can be found on the group’s website. Indivisible is also hosting a map and schedule of events for April 19th.
Monday, April 21: The Chicago Federation of Labor and Chicago Jobs with Justice are hosting an event to discuss the gutting of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Week of April 19-27: A spreadsheet and map compiled by the group We (the People) Dissent lists a number of planned protests across the country, released weekly.
Tuesday, April 29: The city of West Hollywood, CA is hosting a Town Hall and Resource Fair addressing the first 100 days of the Trump Administration and what the community can do to protect LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities from Trump Administration actions. More information and registration for the event can be found at this link.
May 1st: MayDayStrong is organizing events and protests on May 1st nationwide. Links and schedules of events can be found at this link.
June 6th: The group Unite for Veterans is organizing a mass march and rally in Washington, DC to protest cuts to and privatization of the VA and to defend veterans’ employment in the federal workforce.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has published a practical guide to digital security when attending protests here.
Lawsuit Updates.
On Friday, April 11, a federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to unfreeze Maine’s USDA funding that was withheld due to Governor Janet Mills’ defiance of Trump’s executive order to bar transgender students from participating in sports.
Susman Godfrey, Jenner & Block, and a few other law firms are suing the Trump Administration over the executive order to ban certain law firms from federal buildings.
On Wednesday, April 16, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration to block Trump’s tariffs against Chinese imports.
Seven international students represented by the ACLU filed suit against the DHS over the termination of student visas in the state of Indiana on Tuesday, April 15.
Trump appointee Mary S. McElroy handed the Trump Administration a setback in its funding freeze for climate and infrastructure-related projects on Tuesday, April 15, granting a preliminary injunction ordering funding for nonprofit organizations to be restored pending the outcome of litigation.
On Wednesday, April 16, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from carrying out cuts to indirect costs for research grants at several universities funded by the Department of Energy.
Democracy Forward reports that a federal judge has allowed their lawsuit challenging DOGE’s attempts to access data at the Department of Labor, HHS, and the CFPB to move ahead in court.
