On Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump became the 47th president of the United States. After taking the oath of office, President Trump began signing executive orders pardoning Jan. 6 defendants, implementing Schedule F to reclassify civil servants as political appointees, declaring a national emergency at the border, and more.
Executive actions related to national security and foreign policy can be found in the searchable table below, along with related documents, Lawfare analysis of the orders, and the legal challenges against them. We will continue to add to this page as events unfold.
Executive Orders
Lawfare Analysis
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Lawfare Live: The Trials of the Trump Administration, April 10
Join the Lawfare team at 4 pm ET for a discussion of the litigation surrounding the Trump administration. -
Lawfare Daily: Katherine Pompilio on Tracking Government Non-Compliance in Habeas Corpus Cases
What does it look like when the government violates court orders in more than 350 separate immigration habeas cases? -
Lawfare Live: The Trials of the Trump Administration, April 3
Join the Lawfare team at 4 pm ET for a discussion of the litigation surrounding the Trump administration. -
Fulton County’s Uphill Battle for Ballots
A recent hearing offered the clearest indication yet that Judge Boulee might rule against Fulton County's motion for return of property. -
Hearing Dispatch: A Catch-22 for the Pentagon Press Corps
Judge Paul Friedman hears a motion to compel compliance with his order to restore press access to the Pentagon. -
Lawfare Daily: The Trials of the Trump Administration, March 27
Listen to the March 27 livestream as a podcast.
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Documents
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Trump Signs Order on DOGE ‘Workforce Optimization Initiative’
The order directs agencies to prepare for workforce reductions and hire one worker for every four that depart. -
Justice Dept. Releases Slate of Memos from Attorney General Bondi
Bondi signed 14 memos on topics ranging from internal personnel matters to potential investigations into current and former civil servants. -
Federal Employee Unions Sue DOGE and the Department of Labor
A coalition of unions seek to block DOGE from gaining access to the Labor Department. -
Trump Issues Memorandum to Detain Migrants at Guantanamo
The president directs the secretaries of defense and homeland security to expand the migrant operations center to “full capacity.” -
Trump Executive Order Targets Transgender Service Members
The order reverses a 2021 Biden administration directive allowing transgender troops to serve openly—which itself had overturned an earlier ban from the first Trump administration. -
Trump Orders Pause on Federal Financial Assistance
The memorandum directs agencies to pause funding and conduct a review of programs implicated by executive orders.
This page was created by Anna Hickey.