Trump Administration Seeks to Limit Federal Judges' Power

The administration has filed dozens of emergency requests to the Supreme Court to challenge lower court rulings against its policies.

Published on Mar. 7, 2026

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Since returning to office, President Donald Trump and his administration have aggressively sought to diminish the power of federal judges, filing dozens of emergency requests to the Supreme Court to challenge lower court rulings against the administration's policies. The administration has argued that judges are improperly interfering with the president's constitutional authority, going beyond just challenging the legal conclusions to question the judges' very authority to review executive actions.

Why it matters

This strategy reflects the administration's broader effort to assert more unilateral presidential power and reduce checks on the executive branch. By challenging the ability of federal judges to review and restrain the president's actions, the administration is seeking to limit a key check on its agenda.

The details

Of the 31 emergency requests Trump's Justice Department has filed at the Supreme Court since February 2025, nearly all - 97% - claim the judge is improperly interfering with the president's power. This contrasts with just 26% of such claims in the 19 emergency requests filed by the previous Biden administration. The administration has also increasingly argued that judges lack the power to review or provide relief against the president's actions.

  • Since President Trump returned to office in 2025, his administration has filed dozens of emergency requests to the Supreme Court.
  • In the past year, the administration has raced to the Supreme Court with these emergency requests to challenge lower court rulings against its policies.

The players

Donald Trump

The current President of the United States, who has returned to office and is leading the administration's efforts to limit federal judges' power.

Payvand Ahdout

An expert on presidential power and the federal courts at the University of Virginia School of Law, who says the administration is attacking the ability of federal judges to question or review executive actions.

Barbara Lynn

A former federal judge in Texas who retired last year, who says the administration's position runs the risk of there being no checks and balances in the country if their view prevails.

John Yoo

A University of California, Berkeley law professor who worked as a Justice Department official during the George W. Bush presidency, who says the administration is trying to accelerate the Roberts court's trend of narrowing judicial involvement in the president's management of the executive branch.

Eric Segall

A Georgia State University College of Law professor who previously worked in the Justice Department during the George H.W. Bush presidency, who says the administration makes it sound like every case is a five-alarm fire that will destroy the presidency if judges get involved.

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What they’re saying

“The administration is attacking the ability of federal judges to question or review the executive actions.”

— Payvand Ahdout, Expert on presidential power and the federal courts, University of Virginia School of Law

“That is a sad, inappropriate development, and runs the risk of there being, essentially, no checks and balances in this country if that view prevails.”

— Barbara Lynn, Former federal judge, Texas

“They are trying to accelerate things that the Roberts court itself had already started, which is to narrow judicial involvement in … the president's management of the executive branch.”

— John Yoo, Law professor, University of California, Berkeley

“They make it sound like every case is a five-alarm fire that will destroy the presidency of the United States if judges get involved.”

— Eric Segall, Law professor, Georgia State University College of Law

What’s next

The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on the administration's emergency request to lift a judge's order blocking the firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, a case that could further define the limits of judicial review of presidential actions.

The takeaway

The Trump administration's aggressive efforts to limit federal judges' power to review and restrain presidential actions reflect a broader push to consolidate executive authority and reduce checks on the president. This strategy, if successful, could have significant implications for the balance of power between the branches of government.