In Washington DC, federal judges have intervened against several measures taken by the Trump administration since Donald Trump began his second term as President. On February 18th, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan temporarily halted the Trump administration’s decision to cancel grants to environmental organizations that had been approved during the Biden administration. These grants, totaling $13.97 billion (approximately 20.3 trillion won) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), had been intended for three environmental groups, which sued, claiming the cancellation was unjust. Judge Chutkan also froze the Citibank accounts where the funds were held, citing the irreversible harm that could result if the money was withdrawn. She criticized the EPA’s assertions of “fraud,” “waste,” and “misappropriation” as vague and unsubstantiated.
Additionally, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes put a temporary stop to a Trump executive order that effectively banned transgender military service, stating it likely violated constitutional protections against sex discrimination. The Department of Defense records indicate that active-duty members currently total about 1.3 million, with transgender personnel estimated at about 1% or less. AP News reported that the government has until the morning of the 21st to appeal Reyes’ decision.
In Maryland, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang blocked further actions to dismantle USAID, as proposed by Elon Musk, a close associate of Trump and head of the Government Efficiency Department (DOGE). Chuang restored access for remaining USAID employees to the organization’s computer systems and ordered a plan to reintegrate employees who had been removed from the agency’s facilities. He stated that Musk’s attempt to dismantle USAID is likely unconstitutional in multiple respects, as it usurps authority from Congress.
Since Trump’s inauguration on January 20th, there have been several instances where judicial rulings have paused or halted the administration’s actions. However, recent trends show the Trump administration openly disregarding court orders, with officials, including Trump himself, attacking judges and signaling intentions to defy judicial decisions. Therefore, it’s uncertain whether the administration will comply with the latest three court rulings.