Top Political Lawsuits Against the Trump Administration

More than 750 lawsuits against the Trump administration have been filed since January 2025, and courts have ruled against the administration far more often than for it. Of 172 cases with a final decision tracked by The New York Times, plaintiffs won 67 and the administration won seven, with 96 dismissed and two mixed.¹ The challenges span immigration, tariffs, the federal workforce, voting rights, government spending, free speech, and executive orders targeting law firms and political opponents, and they have repeatedly landed at the Supreme Court.

How the Administration Has Fared in Court

Independent trackers put the total higher still. The Just Security tracker counted 803 cases as of May 2026, with 262 plaintiff wins against 126 government wins and 360 cases awaiting a ruling.² The Associated Press reported about 150 policies partially or fully blocked, 102 left in effect during litigation, and 107 awaiting a ruling.³

The administration has done better at the Supreme Court than in the trial courts, especially when seeking stays that let contested policies take effect while appeals proceeded. The Court has taken action in 31 cases, with six pending as of mid-2026.¹ Its most consequential procedural win came in Trump v. CASA, where a 6-3 majority held that federal district courts likely lack authority to issue nationwide injunctions. That ruling forced challengers to pursue narrower relief or seek class certification instead.⁴

Tariffs

On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.⁵ Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, applying the major questions doctrine and noting that no president had used IEEPA to levy tariffs in the law’s 50-year history. The ruling applied to all IEEPA-imposed tariffs regardless of country or rate.⁶

The administration then pivoted to Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to reimpose tariffs. On March 5, 2026, a coalition of 22 state attorneys general and two governors, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, sued in the U.S. Court of International Trade to challenge the new framework.⁷

Immigration

The Alien Enemies Act

The administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan nationals alleged to be members of Tren de Aragua, the first peacetime use of a law previously invoked only during the War of 1812 and the two World Wars.⁸ In Trump v. J.G.G., the Supreme Court vacated lower-court restraining orders on procedural grounds but held that detainees are entitled to due process, including notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard before removal. In A.A.R.P. v. Trump, the Court voted 7-2 to block use of the Act to deport Venezuelan nationals to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.⁴

Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident of ten years, held a 2019 court order barring his removal to El Salvador because of a “clear probability of future persecution.” The government deported him there anyway in March 2025 and later called the removal an “administrative error.”⁹ The Supreme Court ordered the government to facilitate his return, and he was brought back in June 2025. Prosecutors then charged him with human smuggling tied to a 2022 incident they had previously declined to prosecute. On May 22, 2026, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw dismissed the case, ruling the prosecution was “vindictive” and brought solely to justify the original wrongful deportation.¹⁰

Birthright Citizenship

An executive order issued January 20, 2025, sought to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented or temporary legal residents. Four federal judges, in Washington, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, blocked the order, and three federal appeals courts declined to disturb those injunctions.¹¹ After the CASA decision limited universal injunctions, the class action Barbara v. Trump was filed on June 27, 2025, and a New Hampshire federal judge certified a nationwide class and issued a class-based injunction.¹² The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara on April 1, 2026, with a decision expected by late June 2026.¹³

Other Immigration Rulings

The Supreme Court allowed the administration to revoke a humanitarian parole program for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans.⁴ A federal judge blocked the rescission of Harvard’s ability to host international students in President and Fellows of Harvard College v. DHS, now on appeal before the First Circuit.¹⁴ In a ruling with broader free-speech implications, a federal judge found that the deportation of students and faculty for pro-Palestinian advocacy violated the First Amendment, declaring that noncitizens lawfully present in the United States hold the same free speech rights as citizens.¹⁵

Federal Workforce and DOGE

Mass Reductions in Force

Executive Order 14210 directed federal agencies to carry out large-scale reductions in force, with the Department of Government Efficiency playing a central role. A California federal district court found that roughly 40 reductions in force were underway across 17 agencies by May 2025, with proposed cuts of 93% at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, more than 50% at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 83,000 workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The court issued a preliminary injunction, but the Supreme Court stayed it on July 8, 2025, finding the government likely to succeed on appeal.¹⁶

Probationary Firings

The Office of Personnel Management ordered the mass firing of about 25,000 probationary employees across six departments. In September 2025, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled the firings illegal, finding that OPM had exceeded its authority and that the agencies’ claims of independent action were a “sham.” He ordered the agencies to send letters to all affected employees stating they were not fired for poor performance and to correct their personnel files, but declined to order reinstatement, noting that most workers had already moved on or seen their positions eliminated.¹⁷

USAID and DOGE

A Maryland federal judge ruled in March 2025 that actions by Elon Musk and DOGE to dismantle USAID “likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways,” ordering restoration of employee access and blocking further firings, building closures, and contract terminations.¹⁸ Separate suits argue that DOGE operates as a federal advisory committee without the charter, viewpoint balance, open meetings, or public records required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Those cases were consolidated before a D.C. federal judge and remain pending.¹⁹

Voting Rights

A March 2025 executive order directed the Election Assistance Commission to require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration. In League of Women Voters v. Trump, a D.C. federal court blocked that requirement in April 2025 and permanently enjoined it in October 2025, ruling it violated the National Voter Registration Act and that the president lacked authority to dictate policy to the independent EAC.²⁰

A second executive order directed federal agencies to create lists of “pre-authorized” voters and threatened state officials with criminal prosecution for mailing ballots to anyone not on the lists. In April 2026, a coalition of 19 state attorneys general co-led by California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Washington sued in federal court in Massachusetts, calling the order “blatantly unconstitutional” and an intrusion on state authority over elections.²¹

Executive Orders Targeting Law Firms

The administration issued executive orders sanctioning several prominent law firms by revoking security clearances, terminating government contracts, and restricting access to federal buildings. Courts struck them down in emphatic terms. In Perkins Coie LLP v. U.S. Department of Justice, Judge Beryl Howell granted summary judgment and a permanent injunction in May 2025, ruling the order violated the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. In Jenner & Block LLP v. Department of Justice, Judge John Bates declared that executive order “null and void” and permanently enjoined it. The D.C. Circuit consolidated appeals from four law firm cases in February 2026, with oral arguments scheduled for May 2026.²

The $1.776 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund

In January 2026, President Trump and the Trump Organization filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department over the leak of Trump’s tax returns. Legal experts questioned both the statute of limitations and the conflict of interest in Trump suing an agency he controls.²² Trump voluntarily dropped the suit in May 2026. As part of the resolution, the Department of Justice created a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate individuals who allege harm from government “weaponization and lawfare,” including pardoned January 6 defendants seeking taxpayer compensation.²³

Democracy Forward sued in the Eastern District of Virginia. On May 29, 2026, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily barred the DOJ from setting up, funding, or distributing payments.²⁴ On June 12, 2026, the court granted a preliminary injunction, finding the plaintiffs had shown a likelihood of success on claims that the fund violates the First Amendment, equal protection principles, separation of powers, and constitutional restrictions on federal spending.²⁵

Prosecutions of Political Figures

The Justice Department has pursued criminal cases against several figures tied to earlier opposition to President Trump, drawing accusations of political retaliation.

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted in October 2025 in the Eastern District of Virginia on charges of bank fraud and false statements to a financial institution related to a Virginia property loan. A federal judge dismissed the indictment after ruling that the interim U.S. attorney who secured it had been unlawfully appointed. Two grand juries then declined to re-indict, and as of March 2026 the DOJ was reportedly pursuing another investigation.²⁶²⁷
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton was indicted in October 2025 on 18 counts of retaining and transmitting classified defense information. He initially pleaded not guilty, and as of June 2026 was scheduled to plead guilty.²⁸²⁹
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted for alleged false statements to Congress. The charges were dismissed in November 2025.²⁹

Who Is Bringing the Cases

A coalition of roughly 23 Democratic state attorneys general has been the most prolific source of litigation, filing more than 50 lawsuits and meeting as often as twice a week. The group began organizing in early 2024, analyzing documents like Project 2025 in preparation. About 80% of its suits have produced a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction, according to The Guardian. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has signed on to nearly 40 suits, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed more than 50.³⁰

Civil liberties organizations have supplied much of the rest. By 2025, the ACLU had taken 239 legal actions (lawsuits, records requests, amicus briefs, and agency complaints), with 106 immigration actions alone and reported success rates of roughly 65% overall and 69% in immigration cases.³¹ The NAACP Legal Defense Fund has filed nine lawsuits, six of which produced court orders blocking administration actions on birthright citizenship, voting rights, educational equity, and DEI-related policies.³² Democracy Forward has concentrated on government spending and structural accountability, including the Anti-Weaponization Fund challenge and earlier Alien Enemies Act litigation with the ACLU.³³ Federal employee unions, universities, and private businesses have brought additional suits in their areas of exposure.

What’s Still Pending at the Supreme Court

A ruling in Trump v. Barbara, argued April 1, 2026, will decide whether the birthright citizenship executive order survives Fourteenth Amendment scrutiny; the decision is expected by late June 2026.¹³ Trump v. Slaughter, argued in December 2025, will decide whether the president can remove members of independent agencies like the Federal Trade Commission at will, a question with implications for regulatory bodies across the government.³⁴ The case of Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and pro-Palestinian activist, is heading toward a potential certiorari petition after the Third Circuit vacated a lower court order requiring his release.³⁵

1
The New York Times. Trump Administration Lawsuits Tracker
2
Just Security. Tracker: Litigation and Legal Challenges to the Trump Administration
3
AP News. Trump Executive Order Lawsuit Tracker
4
SCOTUSblog. Looking Back at 2025: The Supreme Court and the Trump Administration
5
SCOTUSblog. Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump
6
U.S. Supreme Court. Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, No. 24-1287
7
New York Attorney General. Attorney General James Leads Lawsuit to Stop Trump Administration’s Latest Illegal Tariffs
8
U.S. Supreme Court. Trump v. J.G.G., No. 24A931
9
U.S. Supreme Court. Noem v. Abrego Garcia, No. 24A949
10
BBC. Abrego Garcia Case
11
SCOTUSblog. Where Does Birthright Citizenship Order Currently Stand
12
ACLU of Massachusetts. Federal Court Blocks Trump Birthright Citizenship Order, Certifies Nationwide Class
13
SCOTUSblog. Birthright Citizenship Oral Argument Highlights
14
American Council on Education. Higher Ed Groups Back Harvard in International Student Appeal
15
Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. In Landmark Ruling, Federal Court Says Trump Administration Violated First Amendment
16
U.S. Supreme Court. Trump v. American Federation of Government Employees, No. 24A1174
17
Government Executive. Trump’s Mass Probationary Firings Were Illegal, Judge Concludes
18
Forbes. DOGE Loses in Court: Elon Musk’s USAID Shutdown Is Likely Unconstitutional, Judge Rules
19
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Public Citizen, Inc. v. Trump
20
Brennan Center for Justice. League of Women Voters v. Trump
21
California Attorney General. Attorney General Bonta Co-Leads Lawsuit Challenging President Trump’s Executive Order on Elections
22
NPR. Trump IRS Lawsuit Settlement
23
NBC News. Trump Voluntarily Drops $10 Billion Lawsuit Against IRS Over Leaked Tax Records
24
Democracy Docket. Judge Halts Trump Justice Department Weaponization Slush Fund
25
Democracy Forward. Federal Court Blocks Trump-Vance Administration’s $1.776 Billion Slush Fund
26
Politico. Letitia James Indictment
27
House Judiciary Committee Democrats. Judiciary Democrats Launch Investigation Into DOJ’s Retaliatory Prosecution
28
FactCheck.org. What’s in the Bolton Indictment
29
Law360. United States v. Bolton
30
The Guardian. Democratic Attorneys General Take on Trump
31
ACLU. ACLU vs. Trump
32
NAACP Legal Defense Fund. LDF Trump Lawsuit Tracker
33
Democracy Forward. ACLU and Democracy Forward Sue Over Alien Enemies Act
34
SCOTUSblog. Trump v. Slaughter
35
Center for Constitutional Rights. Khalil v. Trump