President Donald Trump suffered a series of legal setbacks on Wednesday in the form of four separate court rulings.
Why It Matters
Trump came into office on the pledge that he would carry out mass deportations on “day one,” impose sweeping tariffs on countries he claims have taken advantage of the U.S, implement hiring freezes and mass layoffs to downsize the government in the name of efficiency, eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and more.
But the administration has run up against judicial pushback on virtually every major agenda item that Trump championed on the campaign trail and since he took office. In May, according to one analysis, the Trump administration suffered more than two dozen defeats at the district court level from judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans, including Trump.
What To Know
The four legal setbacks on Wednesday were announced within hours of each other.
Judge Blocks Effort to Dismantle Jobs Corps
A U.S. judge on Wednesday temporarily stopped the Trump administration from moving ahead with an effort to eliminate Job Corps, the largest U.S. job training program for low-income youth.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter issued a restraining order preventing the Labor Department from terminating contracts or halting operations until further review. The plaintiffs argue the department is overstepping its authority by trying to dismantle a federally mandated program without congressional approval. Job Corps, established in 1964, provides education and vocational training to disadvantaged youth but has been criticized by the Labor Department for poor outcomes and safety issues. A court hearing is scheduled for June 17.
Block on Dismantling of Education Department Stays
A federal appeals court has rejected the Trump administration’s bid to lift a lower court’s injunction blocking the president’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling, which requires the department to reinstate over 1,300 employees who were terminated as part of a mass layoff aimed at shutting down the agency.
The lawsuit was brought by Democratic-led states, school districts, and teachers’ unions, who argued that the firings—announced just before Trump signed the executive order to eliminate the department—violated the law by attempting to bypass Congress, which created the department in 1979. The Trump administration maintained that the cuts were lawful and part of a broader effort to reduce government size.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun previously ruled that the layoffs were effectively an attempt to dismantle the department without congressional approval. The appeals court agreed, noting the agency would be unable to perform its core functions if the firings proceeded. Trump has proposed transferring the department’s responsibilities to other agencies.
The administration is expected to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Due Process for Over 100 Men Sent to El Salvador
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration illegally deported nearly 140 Venezuelan men to El Salvador under a rarely used wartime law, the Alien Enemies Act, but stopped short of ordering their return to the United States.
In a 69-page decision issued Wednesday, Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg found the men—who were flown out of the U.S. just hours after Trump invoked the 1798 law on March 15—were denied due process and unlawfully sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT megaprison. Trump said the men were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, but Boasberg wrote that evidence suggests many had no gang ties at all.
“Significant evidence has come to light indicating that many of those entombed in CECOT have no connection to the gang and thus languish in a foreign prison on flimsy, even frivolous, accusations,” Boasberg wrote.
Boasberg gave the administration one week to propose how the detainees might pursue legal challenges in U.S. courts but said he would not yet order any specific government action, citing national security concerns. The judge had previously tried to block the deportation as the planes were in the air, but they did not turn back, prompting contempt-of-court proceedings—now paused by an appeals court.
The Supreme Court later said that individuals deported under the Alien Enemies Act must be given enough time to seek legal relief, though it ruled 5–4 that Boasberg’s court was not the correct venue for the original case.
Legal experts and civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), hailed Boasberg’s latest ruling as a critical rebuke of Trump’s handling of mass deportations. “The Trump administration must fix its blatant constitutional violations and cannot simply choose to leave these individuals in a foreign gulag-type prison,” said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, Politico reported.
Deportation of Boulder Attack Suspect’s Family Halted
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt deportation proceedings against the wife and five children of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian national charged with firebombing a pro-Israeli demonstration in Boulder, Colorado. U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher issued the ruling to ensure the family’s constitutional rights are protected, after they were taken into custody by immigration officials earlier this week. None of the family members have been charged with any crime.
Soliman, who authorities say confessed to the attack, faces federal hate crime and attempted murder charges after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at demonstrators while shouting “Free Palestine.” Fifteen people were injured in the attack, which authorities say was motivated by antisemitism. Soliman had a pending asylum application. His wife, a network engineer, has a pending EB-2 visa application and is listed with their children as dependents on his asylum application.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the family’s detention, arguing their immigration status warranted removal. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also stated that federal authorities were investigating whether the family had any prior knowledge of the planned assault. Soliman and his wife have both said the family was unaware of his actions, according to authorities.
“The punishment of a 4-year-old child for something their parent allegedly did…should outrage Americans, regardless of their citizenship status,” said one of the family’s attorneys, Eric Lee.
Soliman remains in custody on a $10 million bond and is due in state court on Thursday.
What Happens Next
Trump is appealing the Department of Education case, and new court dates have been set for the Boulder attack deportation and the Jobs Corp cases.
The post Donald Trump Suffers Quadruple Legal Blow Within Hours appeared first on Newsweek.
