DC Courts Stall Trump's Second-Term Agenda Across Key Issues

Rulings on immigration, policing, and Federal Reserve fuel clash over executive power and judicial oversight.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 6:34pm

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President Donald Trump's second-term agenda has faced repeated setbacks in Washington, D.C. federal courts, where judges have halted major policies on immigration, policing, and federal authority. The rulings have intensified the debate over whether the judiciary is acting as a constitutional check on executive power or overstepping its bounds.

Why it matters

The court battles over Trump's agenda raise questions about the balance of power between the executive branch and the judiciary. The outcomes could have sweeping implications for how the president can wield emergency powers, assert federal control over states and localities, and reshape institutions like the Federal Reserve.

The details

The legal fights span a range of issues. On immigration, courts have blocked the administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport migrants to El Salvador's CECOT prison. On policing, a lawsuit challenges Trump's efforts to assert federal control over the District of Columbia's law enforcement. And on the Federal Reserve, the administration has sought to reshape the central bank's leadership, facing pushback from the courts.

  • In August 2025, Trump moved to expand federal control over policing in Washington, D.C., including deploying National Guard troops.
  • Earlier this month, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to reconsider an order quashing grand jury subpoenas of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

The players

Donald Trump

The 45th President of the United States, currently serving his second term.

D. John Sauer

The U.S. Solicitor General, who has urged the Supreme Court to take up the broader issue of the Trump administration's efforts to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for migrants.

Tricia McLaughlin

A former spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, who argued that Haiti's TPS designation was never intended to be a 'de facto amnesty program.'

Jeanine Pirro

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who has vowed to appeal a court order that quashed grand jury subpoenas of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Lisa Cook

A member of the Federal Reserve's board of governors, whose position remains in limbo after a court order blocked the Trump administration's attempt to remove her.

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What they’re saying

“Unless the court resolves the merits of these challenges — issues that have now been ventilated in courts nationwide — this unsustainable cycle will repeat again and again, spawning more competing rulings and competing views of what to make of this court's interim orders. This court should break that cycle.”

— D. John Sauer, U.S. Solicitor General

“Haiti's TPS was granted following an earthquake that took place over 15 years ago. It was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that's how previous administrations have used it for decades.”

— Tricia McLaughlin, Former DHS Spokesperson

What’s next

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the administration's efforts to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Haitian migrants, a decision that could have broader implications for the president's immigration agenda. Additionally, the legal battle over the administration's attempts to reshape the Federal Reserve's leadership is ongoing, with the Justice Department's latest motion for reconsideration still pending before the courts.

The takeaway

The repeated court rulings against the Trump administration's policies have intensified the debate over the balance of power between the executive branch and the judiciary. The outcomes of these legal battles could significantly impact the president's ability to wield emergency powers, assert federal control over states and localities, and reshape key institutions like the Federal Reserve.