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, dismantling executive agencies like USAID, freezing federal funding and more. Many of his executive actions have faced legal challenges.
On this page you will find real-time updates of the litigation, Lawfare's weekly livestream series, documents related to the actions, a table tracking the legal challenges against them, and analysis of President Trump's executive actions and the litigation challenging them. Use the buttons below to navigate the page.
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Find real time updates of Lawfare’s coverage of the Trump administration’s legal challenges, on Bluesky or below:
Every week, Lawfare Editor in Chief Benjamin Wittes sits down with Lawfare contributors for "The Trials of the Trump Administration," a live discussion on the legal challenges to President Trump's executive actions.
Lawfare Analysis
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Lawfare Live: Trials of the Trump Administration, May 30
Join the Lawfare team at 4 pm ET for a discussion of the litigation targeting actions from President Trump. -
The Situation: They Just Can’t Help Themselves
Why does the administration keep picking First Amendment fights it can’t possibly win? -
Lawfare Live: Trials of the Trump Administration, May 28
Join the Lawfare team at 2 pm ET for a discussion of the litigation targeting actions from President Trump. -
Trump’s Vision for Policing Comes into Focus
With its recent order “strengthening and unleashing” U.S. law enforcement, the Trump administration is pushing for militarized and unaccountable policing. -
Lawfare Live: Trials of the Trump Administration, May 22
Join the Lawfare team at 4 pm ET for a discussion of the litigation targeting actions from President Trump. -
The Return of Schedule F
The Trump administration has proposed new rules to remove due process protections for thousands of federal employees. -
The Law Firms’ Deals with Trump Are Even Riskier Than They Seem
By settling with Trump, law firms have much more than a moral stain to worry about. -
Class Actions and the Alien Enemies Act
Class actions are critical tools for noncitizens subject to assertions of emergency authority, and the Northern District of Texas’s recent refusal to certify an AEA detainee class created a major procedu... -
Lawfare Live: Trials of the Trump Administration, May 16
Join the Lawfare team at 4 pm ET for a discussion of the litigation targeting actions from President Trump.
Documents
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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. -
Presidential Action on Security Clearance for White House Employees
The action grants the highest level security clearance to certain individuals immediately, without full investigations. -
Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Executive Order Nationwide
The restraining order is to remain in effect for 14 days. -
Justice Dept Memo Calls for Investigations of State and Local Officials
The new policy directs department attorneys to investigate and potentially prosecute those officials who refuse to enforce Trump’s hard-line immigration enforcement policies.
