Trump Action Archive

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• Twenty-four states and DC file lawsuit challenging Trump mail-voting executive order — Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to block the Trump executive order restricting mail-in voting in the 2026 midterm elections. The states argue the USPS policy is part of a broader effort by the administration to "rewrite federal election law and usurp the authority of the states and Congress."

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• Alaska Judge Dismisses Challenge to President Trump’s Rescission of Withdrawals Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf from Oil and Gas Leasing — The Department of Justice announced this on 2026-08-28 through Energy and Natural Resources Division. The recorded stage is a case dismissed. The department's own account of it reads: "The U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska earlier this week dismissed the complaint in a case challenging President Trump’s rescission of Biden-era withdrawals of areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from oil and gas leasing. The court dismissed the case for lack of standing."

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• Federal judge strikes down Texas drag performance ban for second time — US District Judge David Hittner ruled on Tuesday that Texas Senate Bill 12, which bans drag performances in settings where children may be present, violates the First Amendment and cannot be enforced. The judge found the law's definition of "sexually oriented performance" and "prurient interest" unconstitutional and impermissibly vague, noting it could restrict mainstream performances by artists like Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he would appeal the decision.

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• Complaint filed — State of New York v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — The State of New York filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The case docket is 1:26-cv-03405. No case summary or operative details are yet available.

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• California man arrested with wooden guillotine at US Capitol grounds; pleads not guilty to misdemeanor weapon charge — Philan-Tam-Duy Le, 35, was arrested after US Capitol police discovered a 10-foot wooden guillotine in his illegally parked truck near the Supreme Court building on Tuesday. Le pleaded not guilty to attempted possession of a prohibited weapon at a Wednesday arraignment. Judge Robert Hildum declined prosecutors' request to detain him, noting Le made no threats and cooperated with police. Le stated he had no specific reason for being at the Capitol and no issues with Congress members. His brother suggested the device may have been a "symbol of disapproval" of politics.

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• Federal appeals court declines to dismiss criminal charges against congresswoman McIver — A federal appeals court (Third Circuit) ruled 2-1 that criminal charges against U.S. Congresswoman LaMonica McIver should not be dismissed. McIver, a New Jersey Democrat, was charged in May 2025 with interfering with an arrest at Delaney Hall immigration detention facility during a congressional oversight visit. The court ruled her actions were "non-legislative" and thus not protected by the speech and debate clause. McIver faces up to 17 years in prison and claims selective prosecution by the Trump administration.

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• Federal judge blocks Minnesota extradition request for Texas ICE agent accused of shooting — Christian Castro, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, was charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime after allegedly shooting Venezuelan man Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg in January. Minnesota sought his extradition from Texas custody, but US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., a Trump appointee, declined to order Texas to comply. Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused the extradition request, citing unrelated fraud investigations in Minnesota. Castro faces release from Texas jail under state law after 90 days of detention.
• Texas federal judge denies Minnesota extradition request for ICE agent — Christian Castro, an ICE agent charged with shooting and injuring a man in Minneapolis, was released from a jail in Texas after a federal judge denied Minnesota's request to keep him in custody. Minnesota officials had filed a lawsuit asking a judge to order Governor Greg Abbott to sign an extradition request so Castro would return to the state to face four counts of assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. of the Southern District of Texas sided with Texas, allowing Castro's release and permitting Texas to continue weighing whether to comply with the extradition request. Minnesota officials expressed concern that Castro will flee to Mexico to evade the justice system if released. Castro is charged with shooting and injuring Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, and then lying about the circumstances of the shooting.

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• Clarence Thomas sat for 9.5 hours of podcast interviews with Republican Senator Ted Cruz — Sitting Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas agreed to approximately 9.5 hours of one-on-one podcast interviews with Republican Senator Ted Cruz. The interviews represent a departure from institutional norms of judicial independence from partisan politics.

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• Stay motion decided — State of Washington v. United States Department of Education (W.D. Wash.) 2:26-cv-02409 — Judge Evanson denied ED's motion to stay the TRO pending its appeal to the Ninth Circuit, holding that ED had not made a strong showing of likelihood of success on the merits and had not shown it would suffer irreparable harm absent a stay.

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• Stay pending appeal decided — Coe v. Blanche (S.D.N.Y.) 1:26-cv-04641 — The Second Circuit denied DOJ Defendants' motion for a stay pending appeal of the district court's preliminary injunction.

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• Summary judgment ruling — United Farm Workers v. United States Department of Labor (E.D. Cal.) 1:25-cv-01614 — Judge Sherriff granted in part and denied in part the parties' cross-motions for summary judgment, holding that the challenged portions of the interim final rules (IFR) are arbitrary and capricious, including the rule's wage-tier system, housing adjustment to the per-hour AEWR calculation, use of DOL's Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (OEWS) as a new data source for calculating AEWRs, and “greater than 50%” occupational-classification rule for jobs that fall under multiple Standard Occupational Classification codes. The court also found that DOL lacked good cause to bypass notice-and-comment rulemaking required under the APA, except for when selecting OEWS as a new data source. Judge Sherriff held the IFR substantively and procedurally unlawful but declined to vacate it, instead remanding to DOL to promptly produce a new AEWR methodology, ordering DOL to notify employers they may be required to provide backpay for the period between this order and when DOL publishes new AEWRs, and reserving deciding on claims related to backpay until this new methodology is issued.

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• Complaint filed: National Housing Law Project v. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — The National Housing Law Project filed a FOIA lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against HUD, DHS, and USCIS, alleging that the agencies failed to respond to eight FOIA requests submitted between April and June 2026 seeking records on data-sharing agreements related to HUD's directive requiring immigration eligibility verification of HUD-assisted households. The complaint alleges violations of the Freedom of Information Act and seeks an order compelling production of non-exempt records, a Vaughn index, expedited processing, and an injunction against continued withholding.

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• Preliminary injunction ruling — League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump (D. Mass.) 1:26-cv-11549 — Judge Talwani found that USPS Defendants violated the court's preliminary injunction related to “initiating or completing rulemaking to promulgate” specific regulations outlined in Section 3 of EO 14399 by sending a corresponding Final Rule to the Federal Register on Aug. 22, 2026. However, the court declined to impose a remedy “other than identifying the violation,” finding that the relief requested by Plaintiffs would not remedy the past violation but noting that Plaintiffs could choose to file an amended complaint.
• Democratic attorneys general from 23 states filed lawsuit challenging the USPS mail-in ballot rule — Democratic attorneys general from 23 states filed a new lawsuit Wednesday challenging the now-final USPS rule that allows the Postal Service to police mail-in ballot eligibility. The AGs sought an emergency block on the rule, with the first mail-in ballots set to go out the following week.
• Federal judge lifted the last remaining block on Trump's plan to give the Postal Service a new role in policing mail-in ballots — Judge Talwani granted Defendants' motion to reconsider and vacated the court's Aug. 11 preliminary injunction blocking Section 3 of EO 14399 following the Supreme Court's intervening stay of a separate preliminary injunction to Sections 2 and 3 of the same EO in a different but related case, Trump v. California . The vacatur is without prejudice to Plaintiffs amending their complaint. That same day, Plaintiffs filed a Supplemental Complaint adding claims directly challenging the USPS Aug. 21, 2026 Final Rule implementing Section 3 of EO 14399 as a separation-of-powers violation and as unlawful agency action exceeding USPS statutory authority under Title 39. Plaintiffs seek declaratory relief that the EO and Final Rules are unlawful and enjoinment of Defendants from continuing implementation of the Final Rule.
• Preliminary injunction ruling — State of California v. United States Postal Service (D. Mass.) 1:26-cv-13917 — A U.S. district judge reluctantly lifted the final injunction blocking Trump's plan to reshape how mail-in ballots are handled. The judge stated the Supreme Court ruling earlier in the week left her little choice. The new Postal Service rules could result in ballots being rejected from voters who do not appear on newly compiled federal eligibility lists. Democratic attorneys general from 23 states filed a new lawsuit Wednesday challenging the now-final USPS rule and seeking an emergency block before mail-in ballots begin going out the following week.
• USPS implements Trump executive order restricting mail-in ballot delivery — Judge Talwani granted in part Plaintiffs' emergency motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO), staying implementation or enforcement of certain provisions of the USPS Final Rule for 14 days as to elections occurring on or before Nov. 3, 2026. The court found Plaintiffs likely to succeed on their claims that USPS lacked statutory authority to issue the Final Rule and that it is unconstitutional. The Court also found Plaintiff Organizations' members to be at risk of irreparable harm, facing a significant risk of disenfranchisement and interference with their rights under state laws. The Court is yet to rule on the Plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction.
• Twenty-four states and DC file lawsuit challenging Trump mail-voting executive order — Judge Talwani granted in part Plaintiffs' emergency motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO), staying implementation or enforcement of certain provisions of the USPS Final Rule for 14 days as to elections occurring on or before Nov. 3, 2026. The court found Plaintiffs likely to succeed on their claims that USPS lacked statutory authority to issue the Final Rule and that it is unconstitutional. The Court also found Plaintiff States face irreparable harm as “compliance [with the Final Rule's requirements] is practically impossible as to the 2026 midterm elections.” The Court is yet to rule on the Plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction.
• U.S. District Judge Talwani temporarily blocked mail-voting restrictions — The US Postal Service announced implementation of new rules requiring the post office to withhold ballots for mail-in voting to voters deemed ineligible by Department of Homeland Security and other federal records. The rules stem from a Trump executive order issued earlier in 2026 and apply immediately to November's midterm elections. The US Supreme Court lifted a lower court injunction on Monday; US District Judge Indira Talwani lifted a nationwide block on Wednesday. Twenty-four states and DC filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the order as usurping state and congressional authority over elections.
• US District Judge Talwani lifts nationwide block on USPS mail ballot rule — Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to block the Trump executive order restricting mail-in voting in the 2026 midterm elections. The states argue the USPS policy is part of a broader effort by the administration to "rewrite federal election law and usurp the authority of the states and Congress."
• — Late Thursday, U.S. District Judge Talwani temporarily blocked the Postal Service from enforcing Trump's new mail-voting rule, one day after USPS announced the requirements took effect. The temporary block lasts 14 days while the court considers a longer preliminary injunction, with a hearing scheduled for September 3. The case could quickly return to the Supreme Court. As of Friday morning, Trump's new mail-ballot restrictions are currently blocked.
• — US District Judge Indira Talwani lifted her nationwide injunction blocking implementation of the USPS mail ballot delivery rule, citing the Supreme Court's decision to lift the lower court injunction. The ruling clears the way for the rule to take effect for November's midterm elections.

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• US Supreme Court lifts injunction, allows Trump mail-in voting crackdown to proceed — The US Supreme Court voted 6-3 along ideological lines to lift a June injunction from a Massachusetts federal judge that had blocked Trump's March executive order targeting mail-in voting. The order directs the government to create a "state citizenship list" restricting mail-in ballot delivery and instructs the DOJ to prosecute state and local election officials deemed to have issued ballots to ineligible voters. Democratic-led states and voting rights groups challenged the order as unconstitutional; a second injunction remains in place. The ruling allows implementation to move forward while litigation continues ahead of November midterm elections.
• Supreme Court eased restrictions on Trump's mail-in ballot executive order — A divided Supreme Court lifted one of two injunctions blocking Trump's March executive order restricting mail-in voting, ruling the states' challenge was premature rather than deciding the order's merits. The unsigned opinion held that agencies had not finalized implementation rules when the challenge was filed. The USPS published final rules Friday and plans to make them official Wednesday. Legal analysts note the ruling is narrow and technical, with additional litigation expected as lower courts may issue new injunctions against the finalized rules before the November elections.
• Supreme Court releases opinion in Trump v. California (26A124) — The Supreme Court released an official slip opinion in Trump v. California. Docket number(s): 26A124.
• Supreme Court gave Trump procedural victory on mail-voting restrictions — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states challenging Trump's executive order restricting mail voting sued too early, granting the administration a procedural victory. The Court explicitly stated its decision did not mean the administration's implementation would be lawful. The Postal Service subsequently issued rules implementing parts of the order, including new voter-list and mail-ballot-processing requirements. New lawsuits followed, and on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Talwani temporarily blocked the Postal Service from enforcing the new mail-voting rule for 14 days pending further court consideration.

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• Nevada files federal lawsuit challenging Trump administration's Colorado River water allocation plan — Nevada, the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court of Nevada on Monday against the Department of Interior and Bureau of Reclamation, challenging the Trump administration's Colorado River revival plan issued Friday. The plan cuts roughly 20% of water supply to lower-basin states (Nevada, Arizona, California) over two years, with Nevada facing over 70% cuts to its share. The suit contests the framework's disproportionate burden on lower-basin states while upper-basin states (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming) face no mandatory cuts.
• Complaint filed: State of Nevada v. Burgum (D. Nev. 2:26-cv-02665) — The State of Nevada, the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada challenging the Department of the Interior's Record of Decision adopting new Colorado River operating guidelines for 2027–2036. Plaintiffs allege the framework imposes annual water reductions of 213,556 acre-feet on Nevada—roughly 71% of the state's 300,000 acre-foot entitlement—and violates the National Environmental Policy Act and Administrative Procedure Act. They seek vacatur of the decision and an injunction against implementation.

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• Complaint filed — American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO v. United States Office of Personnel Management — The American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the United States Office of Personnel Management. The case docket is 3:26-cv-08835. No case summary or operative details are yet available.

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• Preliminary injunction ruling — United Farm Workers v. Noem (E.D. Cal.) 1:25-cv-00246 — The Ninth Circuit lifted the preliminary injunction and remanded to the district court for the limited purpose of determining whether Plaintiffs have standing to seek prospective relief, holding that the district court had considered only allegations of past harm, which cannot on their own establish standing for prospective injunctive relief. The panel noted that nothing prevents the district court from considering additional requests for relief if new allegations of harm arise during the remand. The court retained jurisdiction over the appeal, Case No. 25-4047 , and stayed further appellate proceedings.

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• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Jared Kushner to discuss "potential areas of common ground" — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) met with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in recent weeks to discuss "potential areas of common ground," according to reporting by Maggie Haberman and Annie Karni in the New York Times. Jeffries emphasized that he wants "to get rid of toxic Trump cabinet secretaries," including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The meeting sparked significant controversy among Trump opponents and led to the public warning from Speaker Johnson.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson warned Jared Kushner not to "bet against the House Republicans" following meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — Following a report in the New York Times about a meeting between House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner regarding "potential areas of common ground," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) publicly warned Kushner: "You better not bet against the House Republicans." The warning signals Republican leadership's concern about potential Democratic-Trump administration coordination and reflects internal party tensions over loyalty to Trump.

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• Complaint filed: State of Nevada v. Burgum (D. Nev. 2:26-cv-02665) — The State of Nevada, the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada challenging the Department of the Interior's Record of Decision adopting new Colorado River operating guidelines for 2027–2036. Plaintiffs allege the framework imposes annual water reductions of 213,556 acre-feet on Nevada—roughly 71% of the state's 300,000 acre-foot entitlement—and violates the National Environmental Policy Act and Administrative Procedure Act. They seek vacatur of the decision and an injunction against implementation.

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• Supreme Court releases opinion in Trump v. California (26A124) — The Supreme Court released an official slip opinion in Trump v. California. Docket number(s): 26A124.

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• Preliminary injunction ruling — McGonigle v. Curran (D. Me.) 1:26-cv-00349 — Judge John A. Woodcock denied Plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction, which sought to bar Defendants from excluding her from official vice-presidential events in retaliation for her protected speech or based on her viewpoint. Relying on sworn declarations from the Secret Service and the Office of the Vice President representing that Ms. McGonigle would be permitted to attend an Aug. 24, 2026 event in Brewer, Maine and would be treated the same as other similarly situated attendees, the court concluded that the motion did not present a case or controversy, that she had not shown a high likelihood of irreparable harm, and that the balance of equities and public interest did not favor relief. The court specified that its ruling addressed only the demand for immediate injunctive relief as to the Brewer event and did not indicate how it would resolve the remaining issues in the case.