Judges vs. Trump

Yesterday, the Supreme Court reminded President Trump that at least one branch of government would not bend the knee. The justices, in a 5-4 vote, rejected Trump’s request to freeze $2 billion in foreign aid, a part of his effort to slash government spending and dismantle the “deep state.” “A bare majority of the court ruled against Mr. Trump on one of his signature projects,” my colleague Adam Liptak wrote. “The president’s many programs and plans, the order suggested, will face close scrutiny from a deeply divided court.”

That’s the second time the Supreme Court has stopped Trump in his second term, although lower courts have blocked many more parts of his agenda. With Republicans in control of Congress, the courts remain the only serious obstacle to the president. Today’s newsletter looks at the tangle of cases — and at what may happen if Trump ignores the rulings they produce.

The court battles

The Times is tracking dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration. The legal challenges, in federal courts around the country, fit into four categories:

Government overhaul: With the help of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, Trump is trying to downsize the federal government. His administration has tried to fire tens of thousands of civilian employees and dismantle entire agencies. The legal challenges contend that Trump didn’t follow rules for firing certain employees, that he can’t shut down agencies established by law without congressional approval and that DOGE has gone beyond what laws allow it to do.

Immigration: Trump has pushed his administration to end birthright citizenship, deport many more migrants, restrict asylum and withhold funds from cities that resist his policies. His critics say many of these moves violate laws or constitutional standards that protect immigrants’ rights.

Reversing liberal policies: Trump has tried to curtail a host of liberal policies, including environmental rules, legal protections for transgender people, congestion pricing in New York and D.E.I. initiatives. Some of the lawsuits seek to overturn Trump’s orders and resurrect these policies. Others focus more narrowly on restoring access to government data, such as information about climate change and H.I.V. treatments, that officials have taken offline.

Press freedom: Trump has blocked Associated Press reporters from official events because the A.P. style guide uses Gulf of Mexico instead of Gulf of America. The news service says this violates the First Amendment and the right to due process.