Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Attorney General Blanche would not rule out challenging votes — Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to rule out the possibility of challenging some votes, leaving open the option of legal action to contest election results. The refusal to foreclose vote challenges raises questions about the DOJ's commitment to accepting electoral outcomes.

Supporting reports

• Federal judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in BBC lawsuit; threatens sanctions for non-compliance — Federal magistrate judge Enjoliqué Lett ordered Donald Trump to cooperate with discovery and sit for a deposition by 11 December in his $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC over a Panorama documentary from 6 January 2021. The judge rejected Trump's request to prevent videotaping of the deposition, found his legal team had not produced adequate internal documents, gave them 30 days to comply, and threatened sanctions including dismissal of the suit. The judge also allowed the BBC's subpoena to Mar-a-Lago to proceed.

Supporting reports

• New York City Council votes to ban horse-drawn carriage rides by 2028 — The New York City Council voted to pass Romanch's Law, legislation banning horse-drawn carriage rides citywide by June 2028, named after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan who died after being ejected from a runaway carriage in Central Park. The measure includes a plan to help affected workers and business owners transition out of the industry in 2027. The vote followed a committee approval and occurred amid protests from the Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents carriage drivers and disputes the adequacy of worker protections and transition support.

Supporting reports

• Kash Patel declined to confirm or deny plans to visit Moscow — Kash Patel, when asked whether he was planning to go to Moscow and for what purpose, declined to provide specifics, stating: "We're not going to announce where we're gonna go and when we're gonna go, except to tell you that this DOJ is going to go wherever we need to go to mete out justice for the American people." The response avoided direct confirmation or denial of Moscow travel plans.
• Vice President Vance defended Musk's Starlink decisions — Vice President JD Vance was asked whether he agreed with Republicans calling for an investigation into Musk's Starlink decisions. Vance responded that Musk "runs a private corporation" and that it is "completely understandable that he doesn't want to get in the middle of a war without the US govt directing him on what to do," and stated "I don't think this is about Elon."
• Sen. Kevin Cramer expressed concerns about Musk's influence over national security — Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) stated that he had concerns about Elon Musk's influence over national security matters following Ukraine's disruption of Starlink access. Cramer said that "one individual and one company has control over America's ability to protect the domain of space, which is a war-fighting domain," and expressed discomfort with "vendor lock-in" in space assets.
• SpaceX investor Ross Gerber criticized Musk's Starlink decisions on CNN — SpaceX investor Ross Gerber stated on CNN that he is "disgusted" with Elon Musk's decisions regarding Starlink, characterizing them as "strategically horrendous" and "horrible" from a humanitarian perspective. Gerber expressed concern that Musk could restrict Starlink access to the United States if he disagreed with a sitting president, and called for development of competitors to Starlink to ensure national security independence.

Supporting reports

• EPA Proposes Consent Decree in Clean Air Act Citizen Suit Over California SIP Submissions — The Environmental Protection Agency published notice of a proposed consent decree in Our Children's Earth Foundation v. Zeldin (Case No. 3:25-cv-08994-WHO), filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The plaintiff alleged EPA failed to perform non-discretionary duties under the Clean Air Act by not timely responding to state implementation plan (SIP) submissions from California. The proposed decree establishes a schedule requiring EPA to take final action on all outstanding California SIP submittals by December 15, 2030, with interim deadlines on specified dates. The public comment period closes November 23, 2026.

Supporting reports

• Justice Department Opens Investigation into Alleged Firearm Permitting Abuses in Two Connecticut Municipalities — The Department of Justice announced this on 2026-10-22 through Civil Rights Division. The recorded stage is an announced investigation. The allegations are unadjudicated; this documents the announcement, not the truth of any allegation. The department's own account of it reads: "Today, the Justice Department opened an investigation into Middletown and Waterbury , Connecticut, to determine whether they unnecessarily delay the issuance of firearm permits to their residents. The Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear firearms — including the right to carry firearms."

Supporting reports

• Congress members vow investigation into Starlink service cuts to Ukraine — Multiple Congress members, including Republicans, announced they will investigate and hold accountable whoever was responsible for cutting Starlink service to Ukraine. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) stated those limiting Starshield "will be fully investigated and will be held fully accountable" and promised "immediate harsh and punitive budget cuts" to responsible agencies.
• Bipartisan lawmakers called for investigation into Elon Musk's Starlink restrictions on Ukraine — The Wall Street Journal reported that bipartisan lawmakers are calling for an investigation into Elon Musk after SpaceX restricted Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite network. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) told CNN that Congress must compel Musk to testify and could block federal funding for agencies that played a role in throttling the network. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) stated that national security decisions should be made in the national interest, not based on "the personal whim of an unstable executive."
• Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick stated Congress could block federal funding over Starlink throttling — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) told CNN that Congress must investigate the Starlink network restrictions, call witnesses under oath, and get to the bottom of the matter because it is "a very, very serious matter." Fitzpatrick indicated that Congress could block funding for federal agencies or agency heads that played any role in throttling the network.
• Sen. Adam Schiff called for Musk to testify under oath — Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) stated that the Senate must put Elon Musk under oath regarding the Starlink restrictions. Schiff emphasized that national security decisions should be made in the national interest and not based on "the personal whim of an unstable executive."
• Sen. Cramer received briefing on Starshield and called for competition in space — Sen. Kevin Cramer received a briefing from Air Force Secretary Troy Meink on Starshield and told reporters that he wanted Congress and the Pentagon to "pour a lot of resources into making sure there's lots of competition both for satellite production and satellite launch." Cramer stated he was "uncomfortable with the potential vendor lock in space" and that recent events had demonstrated greater concern than cost alone.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court denies stay application in Trump v. Kingdom — The Supreme Court denied an application for stay presented to Chief Justice Roberts and referred to the full Court in the pending case Trump, President of U.S., et al. v. Kingdom, Alishea S., et al. (Docket 26A416). Justices Thomas and Alito dissented, indicating they would have granted the stay. The denial allows the underlying proceeding to continue without the requested suspension of lower-court action.

Supporting reports

• New Mexico attorney general files civil lawsuit against Epstein's attorney and accountant — Raúl Torrez, New Mexico's attorney general, filed a civil lawsuit in US district court against Jeffrey Epstein's longtime attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn, alleging they "facilitated and concealed" Epstein's crimes. The complaint names both men individually and as co-executors of Epstein's estate, and seeks to prevent them from receiving estate payments during litigation. The suit alleges they received over $16 million and $10 million respectively from Epstein in exchange for furthering his criminal enterprise and remaining silent.

Supporting reports

• Preliminary injunction ruling — California Nurses Association v. Mullin (N.D. Cal.) 4:26-cv-10680 — Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted a preliminary injunction for the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). The court found they are likely to succeed on their claim that the Unlawful Voter Initiative and Surge violate Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, which bars intimidating people for urging or aiding others to vote. It reasoned that the use of admittedly flawed data that sweeps in U.S. citizens, rushed reviews, and publicized deployments of armed officers before the midterms created a fear among voter-outreach members the court found “objectively reasonable,” and it rejected Defendants' arguments that federal officers fall outside the statute or that their investigative authority overrides it. CNA/NNU were determined to be the only Plaintiffs with standing and only on that claim. The court found their members' fear of being wrongly targeted showed a cognizable harm to their voter-assistance and mobilization work, but not to their own voting, so it did not reach the constitutional right-to-vote claim or the § 11(b) claim on intimidation of voters themselves. It also did not reach the APA claims because CNA/NNU had not, at this stage, shown a discrete “final agency action.” In California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin, Defendants are enjoined, through Nov. 3, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. (or poll closing), from conducting election-related field operations and interviews involving people they know, suspect, or should reasonably know or suspect are U.S. citizens, and from conducting such operations against those individuals based wholly on TECS records (entries in a DHS law enforcement database) generated by the Voter Eligibility Matching Policy. The order is stayed until 5:00 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2026.
• Federal judge restricts DHS voter investigations in 9 states — On October 22, a federal judge restricted certain Department of Homeland Security investigations into suspected noncitizen voting across nine states, finding that unreliable government data could cause citizens to be wrongly investigated. The judge paused her order until 5 p.m. Eastern time on Friday to allow the administration time to appeal.

Supporting reports

• Justice Department Finds Ohio State Medical School Discriminates Based on Race in Admissions — The Department of Justice announced this on 2026-10-21 through Civil Rights Division. The department's own account of it reads: "The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today investigative findings that Ohio State University College of Medicine (OSU Med) discriminated against white and Asian students in granting admission to its 2023, 2024, and 2025 incoming classes. OSU Med’s discriminatory conduct violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race or color, and the U.S."

Supporting reports

• Complaint filed — DSCC v. Trump — The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee filed a lawsuit against Trump in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The case docket is 1:26-cv-03674. No further details on the claims or relief sought are available at this time.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court denies stay and certiorari in Reaves v. Florida death penalty case — The Supreme Court denied an application for stay of execution and a petition for writ of certiorari in Reaves v. Florida (Docket 26-5865). The case involved a death sentence, and the applicant sought emergency relief to halt execution and review by the full Court. Both the stay application and the certiorari petition were denied, allowing the execution to proceed without further Supreme Court intervention.

Supporting reports

• Became Law: Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act — Congress enacted Public Law 119-132, modifying the boundary of Vicksburg National Military Park. The legislation adjusts the park's geographic scope, likely affecting land management, preservation priorities, or visitor access at this Civil War battlefield site in Mississippi. The act represents routine legislative management of federal park infrastructure and historical site stewardship.
• Became Law: Clergy Act — The Clergy Act became Public Law No. 119-125 on October 20, 2026. Congress enacted this measure, which addresses clergy-related provisions. The bill's specific policy content—whether it expands clergy protections, regulates religious institutions, or modifies tax/employment status—is not detailed in the legislative record provided. The law is now binding federal statute.
• Became Law: Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act — Congress enacted Public Law 119-128, authorizing restoration and return of project lands to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. The legislation addresses historical land dispossession by restoring tribal sovereignty over specified parcels, advancing federal recognition of indigenous land rights and self-determination. The act represents a remedial exercise of congressional authority to correct prior injustices.
• Became Law: Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act — Congress enacted the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act (Public Law 119-131), establishing or strengthening mechanisms to identify and report human trafficking cases. The law became effective on October 20, 2026. The measure addresses detection infrastructure, likely involving law enforcement, victim services, or reporting protocols to combat trafficking networks.
• Became Law: Romance Scam Prevention Act — Congress enacted Public Law 119-129, the Romance Scam Prevention Act, on October 20, 2026. The legislation addresses financial fraud targeting vulnerable individuals through deceptive romantic relationships. The law establishes federal oversight and enforcement mechanisms to combat romance scams, likely including consumer protections, financial institution reporting requirements, and law enforcement coordination to identify and prosecute perpetrators.

Supporting reports

• Supreme Court affirms judgment in BMG Rights Management v. Cyril E. Vetter due to lack of quorum — The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the lower court in Docket No. 25-1391, BMG Rights Management, et al. v. Cyril E. Vetter, et al., under 28 U.S.C. § 2109 because the Court lacked a quorum and the qualified Justices were of the opinion that the case could not be heard and determined at the next Term. Justices Sotomayor, Gorsuch, Barrett, and Jackson took no part in the consideration or decision. The affirmance has the same effect as an affirmance by an equally divided court.
• Supreme Court denies certiorari in O'Donnell v. City of Chicago vehicle-forfeiture case — The Supreme Court denied a petition for certiorari challenging Chicago's municipal vehicle-forfeiture scheme, which permits the city to seize and sell vehicles of residents with unpaid parking tickets without providing compensation to owners or holding a hearing on fair compensation. Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justice Gorsuch, issued a statement expressing serious constitutional concerns about the scheme under the Fifth Amendment's Takings Clause, noting a circuit split over whether exercises of state police power are immune to takings claims, but concurring in the denial to allow further lower-court development of the issue.
• Supreme Court denies injunction pending appeal in Golden v. TransUnion, LLC — The Supreme Court denied an application for an injunction pending appeal in Docket No. 26A237, Golden v. TransUnion, LLC, et al. The application was addressed to Justice Thomas and referred to the full Court. The order does not specify the underlying dispute or the nature of the requested relief.
• Supreme Court denies stay in Evans v. Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation — The Supreme Court denied an application for a stay in Docket No. 26A265, Evans v. Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, et al. The application was addressed to Justice Alito and referred to the full Court. The order does not specify the underlying case or the basis for the stay request.
• Supreme Court grants certiorari in Association for Educational Fairness v. Montgomery County Board of Education — The Supreme Court granted a petition for certiorari limited to a single question: whether a plaintiff challenging a facially neutral admissions policy as racially discriminatory must establish that the targeted racial group suffered an aggregate disparate impact relative to its share of the applicant pool.
• Supreme Court grants certiorari in Burford German Funding v. FinancialRight Claims GMBH and remands for reconsideration — The Supreme Court granted a petition for certiorari in Docket No. 25-1269, vacated the judgment of the lower court, and remanded the case to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for further consideration in light of the Court's recent decision in Jules v. Andre Balazs Properties, 608 U.S. 200 (2026). The specific legal issue is not detailed in the order.
• Supreme Court grants certiorari in Department of Justice v. Scott McNutt — The Supreme Court granted a petition for certiorari in Docket No. 26-204, brought by the Department of Justice against Scott McNutt and others. The order does not specify the legal issue or subject matter of the case.
• Supreme Court grants motion for leave to file supplemental appendix under seal in Renteria v. United States — The Supreme Court granted a motion for leave to file a petition for a writ of certiorari with a supplemental appendix under seal in Docket No. 26M27, Renteria v. United States.
• Supreme Court invites Solicitor General to file brief in Bird v. Iowa Migrant Movement — The Supreme Court invited the Solicitor General to file a brief in Docket No. 26-49, Bird, Attorney General of Iowa v. Iowa Migrant Movement, et al., expressing the views of the United States. This invitation indicates the federal government has an interest in the case and the Court seeks its perspective on the legal issues.

Supporting reports

• Justice Department Notifies the District of Columbia of Investigation into Whether Conditions in the D.C. Department of Corrections Correctional Facilities Violate the Constitution — The Department of Justice announced this on 2026-10-19 through Civil Rights Division. The recorded stage is an announced investigation. The allegations are unadjudicated; this documents the announcement, not the truth of any allegation. The department's own account of it reads: "Today, the Justice Department notified District of Columbia (D.C.) Mayor Muriel Bowser of the initiation of a federal investigation into D.C. Department of Corrections (D.C. DOC) correctional facilities. The Justice Department will investigate whether D.C. DOC engages in a pattern or practice of violating prisoners’ and detainees’ constitutional rights."

Supporting reports

• Justice Department Announces Settlement Ending Antisemitism and Race Discrimination at UNC — The Department of Justice announced this on 2026-10-19 through Civil Rights Division. The recorded stage is settlement executed. The department's own account of it reads: "This week the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (ED-OCR) entered a voluntary university-wide settlement agreement with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) to end antisemitism and race discrimination."

Supporting reports

• Motion denied — DC Preservation League v. Department of Interior (D.D.C.) 1:26-cv-00477 — Judge Reyes denied Defendants' motion to disqualify her from the case under 28 U.S.C. § 455(a), which requires a federal judge to step aside when her “impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” The court held that Defendants had not met their “heavy burden” of showing, by clear and convincing evidence, that a reasonable observer informed of the full record would doubt her impartiality. It provided excerpts from prior hearing transcripts, showing its repeated praise of Defendants and noting that it had denied Plaintiffs' requests for relief nearly a dozen times before granting their motion for a TRO on tree removal at East Potomac Golf Course. Citing Liteky v. United States (1994), the court explained that a judge's “expressions of impatience, dissatisfaction, annoyance, and even anger” during proceedings do not by itself establish disqualifying bias. It also stated that Defendants' separation-of-powers objections were substantive legal arguments that a recusal motion is not the place to resolve.
• — In a minute order , Judge Reyes denied Plaintiffs' motion to extend the TRO, which was set to expire Oct. 26, and denied without prejudice their motion to recall Deputy Chief of Staff Greg Wischer to testify further about his text messages with Tom and Gavin Fazio, noting that Plaintiffs may renew their motion to resume testimony before a permanent injunction hearing. The court also ordered Defendants to ensure Wischer has taken appropriate steps to preserve the contents of his personal phone, and expanded his existing preservation order to cover any material concerning East Potomac Golf Course and this litigation, directing that the order be “broadly construed.”

Supporting reports

• Federal court dismisses Trump administration lawsuit against New York City sanctuary laws — US District Judge Ramón E Reyes Jr dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration challenging New York City's sanctuary laws on Thursday. The judge affirmed that federal law does not obligate states to participate in immigration enforcement or compel them to comply with federal requests. The ruling rejected the administration's argument that local officials were illegally obstructing its immigration agenda. Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated the decision, stating the city would not force public servants into deportation roles or abandon immigrants.

Supporting reports

• Justice Department Announces Charges Involving 16 Aliens for Illegal Voting — The Department of Justice announced this on 2026-10-16 through Office of the Attorney General. The department's own account of it reads: "Today, the Justice Department announced charges involving 16 aliens in North Carolina, New York, and Idaho, including an illegal alien, in connection with illegal voting, false claims of U.S. citizenship, and related election crimes. The cases include voting by aliens in federal elections and false claims of U.S. citizenship to register to vote or to vote."

Supporting reports

• Trump administration claims executive privilege over Kennedy Center renovation conversations — The White House claimed that all conversations between Trump and advisors regarding plans to renovate the Kennedy Center are protected by executive privilege and therefore must be kept secret. This represents a dramatic expansion of executive privilege doctrine, which traditionally shields only communications with key advisors from public scrutiny, extending it to cover virtually all presidential conversations. Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memo upon taking office asserting that presidents can shield "presidential communications with private advisers so long as the communications relate to official presidential decisionmaking."

Supporting reports

• Justice Department Reaches Settlement Agreement with City of Lexington, Mississippi, Regarding Lexington Police Department’s Unlawful Police Practices — The Department of Justice announced this on 2026-10-16 through Civil Rights Division. The recorded stage is settlement executed. The department's own account of it reads: "The Justice Department announced today that it has obtained an out-of-court settlement agreement with the City of Lexington, Mississippi, to remedy certain violations described in the Department’s Sept. 26, 2024, findings report. Specifically, the Department found that the Lexington Police Department (LPD) engages in a pattern or practice of civil rights violations."

Supporting reports

• U.S Departments of Justice and Labor Secure Settlement with Cloudera, Enforce Two-Year PERM Debarment & Back Pay Following Discrimination Against U.S. Workers — The Department of Justice announced this on 2026-10-16 through Civil Rights Division. The recorded stage is settlement executed. The department's own account of it reads: "The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division (CRT) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) today announced a coordinated enforcement resolution with Cloudera Inc., a Santa Clara, California-based data management company, following allegations that the company discriminated against qualified U.S. workers during recruitment conducted under the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) program."

Supporting reports

• US Department of Justice sues California to block tabulation of ballots allegedly cast by noncitizens — The US Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit in the Central District of California seeking a court order to prevent the state from tabulating certain ballots in the midterm elections. The suit followed a demand sent to Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday containing a thumb drive with purported names of over 20,000 noncitizens registered to vote, with a 48-hour deadline to verify citizenship. Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber both refused to act on the unverified list, citing lack of methodology and security concerns. The DOJ seeks an injunction requiring California to set aside and independently verify citizenship status of flagged voters before tabulation.
• Justice Department Sues State of California over Voter List — The Department of Justice announced this on 2026-10-15 through Office of the Attorney General. The recorded stage is a complaint filed. The allegations are unadjudicated; this documents the announcement, not the truth of any allegation. The department's own account of it reads: "The Justice Department, working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), today filed a complaint against the State of California over its voter list after determining that more than 20,000 people who are likely aliens are registered to vote in California. Under California law, every registered voter is mailed a ballot. It is unlawful for aliens to vote in federal elections."

Supporting reports

• Eric Deters files defamation lawsuit against Kimberly Guilfoyle and announces plans to depose Don Jr. — Eric Deters, the donor at the center of the Guilfoyle controversy, filed a defamation lawsuit against Guilfoyle and announced plans to depose her and Don Jr. In a video released on October 15, Deters claimed he would present a 16-minute phone conversation that contains information that "might just bring down the entire Trump administration." Deters stated he had supported Trump from the beginning and framed his legal action as an effort to clear his name.
• Eric Deters files defamation lawsuit against Kimberly Guilfoyle; announces recording release — Attorney Eric Deters filed a defamation lawsuit against Kimberly Guilfoyle in circuit court in Kentucky and announced he will release a 16-minute phone recording tomorrow that he claims will damage the Trump administration and potentially end the 2028 Vance-Rubio ticket. Deters is seeking a public apology and $1 million in damages. He stated the recording involves a conversation he had with Guilfoyle from Greece and compared the expected fallout to a major scandal in the Trump administration.