Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Virginia Supreme Court strikes down voter-approved congressional redistricting maps — Virginia's Supreme Court ruled 4-3 on May 8 that the state cannot use new congressional maps approved by voters in an April referendum. The court found that the Democratic-controlled state legislature violated the state constitution by passing the amendment creating the maps before early voting began in the 2025 general election, rather than following the required two-session approval process. The maps would have helped Democrats gain up to four House seats. The ruling nullifies the referendum result and restores the previous maps, benefiting Republicans ahead of November's midterm elections.
• Virginia Supreme Court struck down redistricting referendum — The Virginia Supreme Court issued a 4-3 decision invalidating a voter-approved redistricting referendum that had taken place on April 21, 2026. The court ruled that the legislature had not satisfied the constitutional requirement of passing the amendment through two consecutive legislative sessions with an election in between, finding that the first passage occurred while early voting was already underway in the 2025 statewide elections. The decision overturned the will of approximately 3 million Virginians who voted in the referendum.
• Virginia Supreme Court struck down new congressional maps — The Virginia Supreme Court struck down the state's new congressional maps, which had been narrowly approved by voters in an April referendum, ruling that the constitutional amendment was submitted by the legislature "in an unprecedented manner." The new map would have paved the way for Democrats to win as many as four additional House seats in the midterm elections. The court's decision blocked a voter-approved redistricting reform.
• Virginia Supreme Court struck down voter-approved redistricting referendum — The Virginia state supreme court, voting 4–3 along partisan lines, struck down a referendum approved by Virginia voters on April 21, 2026, that would have created a temporary new congressional district map to gain four additional seats for Democrats and counter Republican gerrymandering. Voters had approved the measure in response to gerrymandering imposed by Republican legislators in Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri, North Carolina, and Florida, which is expected to gain Republicans an additional 14 seats nationally. The court ruled that the process of passing the referendum violated the state constitution. The decision occurred in the context of Trump's low job approval ratings (low 30s), public anger over rising prices, frustration with the Iran war, and dislike of the administration's attacks on immigrants. Trump posted on social media celebrating the decision as a "huge win for the Republican Party."

Supporting reports

• Judge rules RFK Jr overstepped authority in declaring gender-affirming treatments unsafe — Federal Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled Thursday that Robert F Kennedy Jr, Trump's health secretary, exceeded his authority when he issued a December 2025 declaration labeling gender-affirming treatments unsafe for minors and threatening to exclude providers from Medicare and Medicaid. The judge found Kennedy failed to follow proper administrative procedures and granted relief to doctors providing such care. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by 21 states and Washington DC challenging the declaration's legality and accuracy.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration demands removal of transgender references from federal sex education program; 11 states comply, 16 states sue — The Trump administration issued a Monday deadline requiring states receiving federal sex education funding (the Personal Responsibility Education Program, or Prep) to remove all references to gender identity and transgender/non-binary people or lose millions in federal funding. At least 11 states with Republican legislatures complied or announced compliance. Sixteen Democratic-led states and Washington DC sued, claiming the demand tramples Congressional authority. A federal judge blocked the administration from cutting funding to the suing states, finding the administration provided no reasonable explanation for the new conditions beyond "pretext."
• Federal judge blocks HHS from defunding Democratic states over sex education curriculum dispute — U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken issued a court order late Monday blocking the Department of Health and Human Services from cutting federal Prep funding to Democratic-led states that refused to remove transgender references from sex education curricula. The judge found that HHS failed to demonstrate the new grant conditions were reasonable and provided no legitimate explanation beyond "pretext" for the action, noting HHS did not consider statutory objectives, relevant data, or anti-discrimination statutes.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge blocked subpoena to trans healthcare provider — A federal judge ruled that a wide-ranging subpoena issued by the Justice Department to an online trans healthcare provider cannot be enforced because it was not part of a legitimate investigation but was about pursuing Trump's agenda targeting gender-affirming care. In his ruling, the judge noted, "No clearer evidence of improper purpose could exist than the Government's own repeated declarations that it seeks to end the very practice it claims to be merely investigating."

Supporting reports

• Yunseo Chung files lawsuit against Trump administration over green card revocation — Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old Columbia University student and green card holder from South Korea, filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and high-ranking administration officials on March 24 challenging the revocation of her green card and the targeting of her for deportation. The lawsuit alleges that ICE used immigration enforcement as a tool to suppress her political speech and that of other students engaged in pro-Palestinian activism, in violation of her First Amendment rights and due process protections.
• Yunseo Chung filed lawsuit after immigration arrest attempt — Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old Columbia University student who has lived in the US since age 7, filed a lawsuit against Trump and other administration officials after immigration agents attempted to arrest and deport her for apparently participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. A federal judge later temporarily blocked the Trump administration from detaining Chung.
• State Department orders revocation of green card for Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil — Immigration officials arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and leader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, acting on an order from the State Department to revoke his green card. Khalil remains in custody in Louisiana. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly stated the government would "kick out" green card holders who participate in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, signaling a coordinated policy to strip legal status from protesters based on their political speech.
• Trump administration initiates deportation proceedings against Columbia student protester Yunseo Chung — Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old permanent resident who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, filed a lawsuit on March 24, 2025, against the Trump administration after immigration authorities began deportation efforts against her. Three days after her arrest by New York police during campus demonstrations, ICE signed an administrative arrest warrant. The lawsuit names Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other officials, alleging the government is retaliating against her for constitutionally protected protest activity and seeking to revoke her permanent resident status without justification.
• Yunseo Chung, green card holder, sues after ICE attempts arrest and revokes green card — Yunseo Chung, a green card holder who has lived in the United States since age seven and attended pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, sued the Trump administration on Monday, March 24, 2025, after immigration officials attempted to arrest her. ICE officials informed her lawyer that her green card had been revoked. The case exemplifies the administration's targeting of noncitizen students engaged in political protest and speech critical of Israel's military actions in Gaza.
• Federal judge blocks detention of Columbia protester facing deportation — U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald issued a temporary restraining order preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining or transferring Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old green card holder and Columbia University student, out of New York's southern district. Chung, arrested during a Gaza solidarity protest at Barnard College, sued the Trump administration alleging it is using immigration enforcement to suppress her protected speech. The judge found the government had not presented sufficient factual basis for its deportation claims against the legal permanent resident, who has lived in the U.S. since age seven.
• Federal judge halts deportation proceedings against Columbia student Yunseo Chung — Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old Columbia University student and green card holder, sued the Trump administration after ICE revoked her green card and sought her arrest following her attendance at a pro-Palestinian sit-in protest at Barnard College on March 9. ICE obtained a warrant citing a law against "harboring noncitizens" and accused her of posing a threat to U.S. foreign policy interests. On March 25, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order halting arrest and deportation efforts, finding no evidence she posed a danger to the community.
• Federal judge blocks ICE detention of Columbia undergraduate Yunseo Chung — A US judge in Manhattan issued an order blocking immigration officials from detaining Yunseo Chung, a Columbia University undergraduate and permanent resident (green card holder), who faced deportation threats for involvement in Gaza solidarity protests. The judicial intervention prevented the detention from proceeding.
• Federal judge blocks deportation of Tufts student detained by ICE; visa revocation challenged — Rümeysa Öztürk, a 30-year-old Fulbright scholar and doctoral student at Tufts University, was detained by masked plainclothes ICE officers on Tuesday in a Boston suburb. The Department of Homeland Security terminated her visa, alleging support for Hamas without evidence. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Denise Casper issued an order prohibiting Öztürk's removal from the United States pending further court proceedings. Her attorneys, including ACLU lawyers, argue the detention is retaliation for an opinion piece she co-authored advocating Palestinian rights and university divestment from Israel-linked companies.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge compared Alien Enemies Act treatment to Nazi practices — During a court hearing, a federal appeals judge told a Department of Justice lawyer that "Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act" than those sent to El Salvador by the Trump administration. The comparison reflects judicial concern about the severity of the administration's deportation practices.
• Federal judge temporarily banned trans military ban enforcement — A federal judge temporarily banned the enforcement of Trump's executive order barring trans people from the US military. The temporary block prevents implementation of the ban pending further litigation.
• Federal appeals court ruled on refugee admissions suspension — A federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration can halt the approval of new refugees in the US but it must admit those who were conditionally accepted before the president suspended the country's refugee admissions system. The ruling partially upheld the suspension while protecting previously approved refugees.
• Federal appeals court upholds block on Alien Enemies Act deportations to El Salvador — A split three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a March 15 order by District Judge James Boasberg temporarily prohibiting deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The Trump administration had deported hundreds of people under a presidential proclamation designating the Tren de Aragua gang as an invading force. Boasberg had blocked further deportations and ordered planeloads of Venezuelan immigrants returned to the US, which the government did not comply with.
• Ninth Circuit refuses to pause reinstatement order for 17,000 fired federal workers — The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to pause a judge's earlier ruling requiring the Trump administration to reinstate more than 17,000 probationary employees fired from six federal agencies (Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Treasury). A district judge had ruled on March 13 that the Office of Personnel Management improperly ordered the firings despite lacking authority to do so. The Trump administration had appealed the reinstatement order.
• US District Judge Ana Reyes blocks Trump transgender military ban implementation — US District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington DC rejected the Trump administration's attempt to lift a court order preventing a ban on transgender military service scheduled to take effect Friday. Reyes criticized the proposed implementation plan requiring all 1.3 million military personnel to self-report annually on gender dysphoria, characterizing it as "rummaging through private medical records." The judge maintained the existing court order blocking the ban.