Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Bipartisan group of ex-federal judges files lawsuit challenging Trump's $1.8bn anti-weaponization fund — Thirty-five former federal judges, including conservative J. Michael Luttig and former district judges Nancy Gertner and Shira Scheindlin, filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida on May 29 seeking to reopen Trump's IRS case. They argue the $1.776bn settlement fund is "a product of collusion and a fraud on the Court," claiming Judge Kathleen Williams may have been deceived before approving it on May 18. The judges contend the fund was created to distribute taxpayer dollars to Trump's political allies, including those convicted in the January 6 Capitol riot.
• Thirty-five federal judges requested Trump lawsuit reopening — Thirty-five federal judges filed a request that U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams reopen a legal case that Trump, his oldest sons, and the Trump Organization had brought against the Internal Revenue Service. Although the Trumps had dropped the suit, the Department of Justice used it as justification for establishing the $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund to compensate those claiming the legal system had been "weaponized" against them for crimes related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The judges' filing challenges the legitimacy of the fund by questioning whether the Trumps and the IRS were actually adversaries in the case.
• Thirty-five former federal judges challenge Trump IRS settlement as fraud on the court — A group of thirty-five former federal judges, appointed by members of both political parties, filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams to reopen the legal case Trump, his sons, and the Trump Organization brought against the Internal Revenue Service. The judges alleged that Trump and his organization dropped the lawsuit and announced a "settlement agreement" with the Department of Justice as a pretext to justify a $1.776 billion slush fund for paying off those convicted in connection with Trump's schemes to overturn the 2020 election results. The judges characterized the lawsuit and settlement as "fraud on the Court," noting that Trump was simultaneously the plaintiff and the person in charge of the IRS, and that the settlement lacked constitutional or congressional authority.
• Florida court ordered Trump to respond to retired federal judges' filing on slush fund — A federal court in Florida ordered President Trump to respond to a filing by 35 retired federal judges who are requesting an investigation into the Anti-Weaponization Fund and the dismissal of Trump's lawsuit against the IRS. The retired judges' filing alleges possible "collusion" in the case. This represents an early procedural victory for the judges in their challenge to the fund.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge issues temporary order blocking "anti-weaponization" fund — A federal judge issued a temporary order preventing the Trump administration from establishing the nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund while a lawsuit seeking to stop it is considered. The fund, which originated from a settlement after Trump sued the IRS over disclosure of his tax returns, had been proposed to compensate individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol attack.
• Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump's $1.8bn Anti-Weaponization Fund — US District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a temporary restraining order on Friday barring the Trump administration from transferring money into or taking further action on a $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund." The fund was created to settle a $10 billion lawsuit filed by Trump and his sons over leaked tax returns, without the government mounting a legal defense. The order preserves the status quo pending legal arguments in a challenge brought by Democracy Forward and other plaintiffs, preventing irreversible disbursement of taxpayer funds.
• Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily blocked Anti-Weaponization Fund — U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema for the Eastern District of Virginia issued a temporary order halting the Department of Justice from creating, operating, or distributing funds from the so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund, a $1.776 billion slush fund established by the Trump administration to compensate those convicted of crimes related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The order prohibits the administration from transferring money to the fund, considering claims for payment, or paying out any funds. Brinkema scheduled a hearing on the case for June 12. The plaintiffs challenging the fund are people and entities prosecuted or threatened by the Trump administration who argue they are not being treated equally with Trump loyalists in compensation claims.
• Motion granted — Floyd v. Department of Justice (E.D. Va.) 1:26-cv-01399 — Judge Brinkema enjoined Defendants from taking any action related to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, including transferring money to the Fund, considering submitted claims, or disbursing any funds. Judge Brinkema also denied the Plaintiffs' motion for expedited briefing and granted the Defendants' request for additional time.
• Federal Judge Brinkema temporarily blocked Trump's $1.776 billion fund for fraudsters and insurrectionists — Federal Judge Brinkema issued a temporary block on any further action involving Trump's $1.776 billion fund, preserving the status quo while litigation moves forward. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 12, 2026. The fund was characterized as being for "fraudsters and insurrectionists."
• Federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund — U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Department of Justice from taking further action on the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, a $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded initiative. The order blocks the transfer of money to the fund, consideration of claims, and disbursement of funds while plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction is pending. Judge Brinkema scheduled a hearing for June 12 to hear further arguments on the case.
• Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump's $1.776 Billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" — A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from creating or operating a planned $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" designed to compensate individuals who claim they were wrongfully targeted by the government, potentially including those Trump pardoned for Jan. 6 involvement. The order prohibits consideration of submitted claims and disbursement of funds pending a June 12 hearing.

Supporting reports

• Judge Christopher Cooper ordered removal of Trump's name from Kennedy Center — U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper of the District of Columbia ordered the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to remove Trump's name from the building, all official materials, and signage within fourteen days. Cooper also blocked the Kennedy Center's plan to close for two years. The judge affirmed that Congress, not the Trump administration, has authority over the Kennedy Center's name and operations. Cooper found that the Kennedy Center's board had agreed to the closure without legal counsel and that the executive director had proposed the shutdown within minutes of assuming the role.
• Judge Cooper issued ruling requiring Trump's name removed from Kennedy Center — On May 29, 2026, Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Trump's name must be removed from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, finding that Congress alone has authority to change the center's name and that the board's renaming violated statutory restrictions on memorials. Cooper set a midnight June 12 deadline for removal of all signage, merchandise, and related materials bearing Trump's name.
• Federal judge ordered Trump's name removed from Kennedy Center — U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., declared that the Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees lacked authority to rename the facility for President Trump. The judge ruled that only Congress can change the Center's official name under federal statute (20 U.S.C. 76h-76s), and voided the Board's December 18, 2025 resolution to rename it the "Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center." The court found the defendants violated the Kennedy Center's organic statute by installing signage, altering the website, and issuing materials bearing Trump's name.

Supporting reports

• Trump refiles $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein letter story — Donald Trump's legal team refiled a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, and reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joe Palazzolo over a July 2025 article alleging Trump sent a "bawdy" letter to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. A Florida judge had dismissed the original case in April without prejudice, finding Trump's team had not adequately demonstrated actual malice. The amended complaint, seven pages longer, reiterates that no authentic letter exists and claims the Journal published despite knowing the story was false or with serious doubts.
• Trump refiles $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Wall Street Journal — Trump refiled a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over its publication of an article describing a card allegedly from Jeffrey Epstein's estate. Trump claims the article damaged his reputation and that the card is fake, though it originated from Epstein's estate and was later provided by the estate to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles had dismissed the original lawsuit last month, finding Trump came "nowhere close" to establishing actual malice, but permitted amendment and refiling.