The Archives — Something Doesn't Feel Right

Audit status: Consolidated audit build. High-risk Term Two litigation and executive-order statuses have been updated; the court-record section has been cleaned up; network language has been narrowed to documented relationships; and the public money-flow ledger now displays only source-linked figures. Term One received a targeted correction pass for clear factual/status errors. This remains a living research database and should continue to be updated as courts, agencies, and officeholders change.

Immigration

Muslim / Travel Ban | EO 13769, EO 13780, Proclamation 9645

Barred entry from 7 then 8 Muslim-majority countries; reissued three times after successive court blocks.

Partially Upheld

The first version | EO 13769, January 27, 2017 barred nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for 90 days and suspended the refugee program for 120 days. It was blocked by federal courts within days on Establishment Clause and equal protection grounds. The second version | EO 13780, March 6, 2017 removed Iraq from the list and narrowed some provisions but was also blocked by federal courts finding the same anti-Muslim intent. A third version | Proclamation 9645, September 24, 2017 expanded the list to include Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela and was structured to be facially neutral. The Supreme Court upheld it in Trump v. Hawaii | 2018 5-4. Chief Justice Roberts held that the president had broad statutory authority under 8 U.S.C. § 1182 | f and that the record of religious animus did not invalidate a facially neutral policy. Justice Sotomayor's dissent compared the majority's reasoning to Korematsu.

DACA Rescission Attempt | September 2017

Attempted to terminate Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections for approximately 700,000 people.

Blocked

DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the rescission of DACA in September 2017 with a six-month wind-down. The Supreme Court blocked it in DHS v. Regents of the University of California | 2020 5-4, ruling the rescission was arbitrary and capricious under the APA — the agency failed to adequately consider reliance interests built up over years. The Court did not address whether DACA itself was lawful. Biden reinstated the program in 2021; the Fifth Circuit later ruled DACA unlawful and the legal fight over the program continued into Term Two.

Zero Tolerance / Family Separation Policy | April 2018

Prosecuted all adults crossing the border illegally, separating approximately 5,500 children from their parents as a deliberate deterrent.

Reversed by EO

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the zero tolerance policy in April 2018, directing federal prosecutors to criminally charge all adults crossing the border — including asylum seekers. Because children cannot be held in criminal detention under the Flores Settlement Agreement, they were separated and placed in HHS custody. Trump reversed the policy by executive order in June 2018 after sustained public outcry and reporting on conditions. Reunification was chaotic — the government had no system tracking family units. A Biden administration task force found hundreds of children still unaccounted for, with parents already deported. Courts found multiple due process violations throughout the operation.

Asylum Ban at Southern Border | 2018–2019

Attempted to bar asylum claims from anyone who crossed the border outside an official port of entry.

Blocked

The administration issued a rule in November 2018 barring asylum claims from individuals who entered the US between ports of entry. The 9th Circuit blocked it as directly conflicting with INA Section 1158, which explicitly states that any person may apply for asylum regardless of manner of entry. The Supreme Court allowed a temporary version to go into effect pending litigation in a 5-4 vote. The rule was ultimately struck down. The administration pursued multiple variations on the same restriction throughout Term One; each was blocked on the same statutory grounds.

Remain in Mexico / Migrant Protection Protocols | January 2019

Required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico pending US immigration court proceedings rather than being released into the US.

Enacted; Biden Ended; Term Two Reinstated

The Migrant Protection Protocols, announced January 24, 2019, required non-Mexican asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their US immigration cases were processed. More than 70,000 asylum seekers were returned to Mexico, many forced to wait in dangerous border cities for months or years. Human rights organizations documented widespread violence, kidnapping, and sexual assault against MPP enrollees. Biden terminated MPP in 2021; SCOTUS ruled 5-4 in Biden v. Texas | 2022 that Biden could terminate it. Term Two reinstated MPP on day one.

Sanctuary Cities Defunding Threat | EO 13768, January 2017

Directed the withholding of all federal funding from jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Blocked

Signed January 25, 2017. District Judge William Orrick | N.D. Cal. issued a nationwide injunction in April 2017, finding that the president exceeded constitutional authority — only Congress may attach conditions to federal spending under Article I. The 9th Circuit upheld the injunction. The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal. A narrow version limited to specific DOJ grant conditions was eventually upheld in separate litigation, but the sweeping across-the-board defunding mechanism was permanently blocked. Term Two reimposed a version of the same policy, triggering new litigation.

Public Charge Rule | August 2019

Expanded the "public charge" ground for denying green cards and visas to include use of Medicaid, food stamps, and housing assistance.

Partially Upheld; Biden Rescinded

Issued August 2019, the rule dramatically expanded the definition of "public charge" — a longstanding basis for denying immigration benefits — to include recipients of non-cash benefits like Medicaid, SNAP, and Section 8 housing. Courts blocked it in multiple circuits. The Supreme Court allowed it to go into effect in a 5-4 vote in January 2020. It led to widespread "chilling effects" — immigrants avoiding health care and food assistance for fear it would affect their immigration status. Biden rescinded the rule in 2021.

End of Temporary Protected Status for Multiple Countries | 2017–2019

Terminated TPS designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, and Sudan — affecting approximately 300,000 people.

Partially Blocked; Mixed Outcomes

The administration terminated TPS for six countries between 2017 and 2019, affecting approximately 300,000 people who had lived and worked legally in the US for years or decades under the program. Courts blocked the terminations for most countries, finding the decisions were infected by discriminatory intent — in part based on Trump's own statements about "shithole countries." Courts ordered a halt pending litigation. The Supreme Court declined to take up the case. Biden extended TPS for most affected countries when he took office.

Executive Power / Federal Workforce

Schedule F | EO 13957, October 2020

Reclassified federal employees in "policy-related" positions as at-will employees, stripping civil service protections and enabling mass dismissal.

Enacted Term One; Revoked Biden; Reinstated Term Two

Signed October 21, 2020 — two weeks before the presidential election. Created a new "Schedule F" classification for federal workers in positions involving policymaking, policy advocacy, or policy implementation. Employees reclassified under Schedule F would lose civil service protections and could be dismissed without the procedural requirements of the Civil Service Reform Act. Estimates of affected employees ranged from 50,000 to over 100,000. Biden revoked it on day one via EO 14003. Trump reinstated it on day one of Term Two. The constitutional question: does Congress's Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 constrain the president's Article II removal authority?

Federal Union Executive Orders | EOs 13836, 13837, 13839, May 2018

Limited collective bargaining rights, official time, and grievance protections for federal employees and their unions.

Partially Blocked; Partially Upheld

Three executive orders signed in May 2018 directed federal agencies to renegotiate collective bargaining agreements, restrict union representatives from using official government time for union activities, and limit employee grievance procedures for performance-related removals. A DC District Court initially blocked several provisions as violating the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. The DC Circuit later upheld the core provisions, finding they fell within the president's statutory management authority. Project 2025 called for reinstating all three in full. Term Two has moved aggressively to implement their provisions.

Ethics Pledge for Executive Branch Personnel | EO 13770, January 2017

Required executive branch appointees to sign a lobbying ban and imposed a 5-year ban on lobbying the agency they worked for after leaving.

Enacted

Signed January 28, 2017. Required all executive branch appointees to sign an ethics pledge including a 5-year ban on lobbying their former agency after leaving government. Critics noted the administration waived the pledge for numerous officials when convenient and that enforcement was inconsistent. Biden revoked the order and replaced it with his own, broader ethics pledge. The revolving door between the Trump administration and lobbying firms remained active throughout Term One despite the order.

Trade & Economic Policy

Withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership | Presidential Memorandum, January 23, 2017

Directed the U.S. Trade Representative to withdraw the United States as a signatory to the TPP and from the negotiating process.

Completed by Presidential Memorandum

Trump withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership process by presidential memorandum on January 23, 2017 — not by Executive Order 13788. The remaining eleven countries later concluded the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership without the United States.

Steel and Aluminum Tariffs — Section 232 | March 2018

Imposed 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminum on national security grounds, applied broadly including to allied nations.

Enacted

Announced March 8, 2018 following a Commerce Department Section 232 investigation. Applied to essentially all trading partners — including the EU, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea — triggering retaliatory tariffs on US agricultural and manufactured goods. The WTO ruled the tariffs violated international trade commitments. The legal controversy: Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 authorizes tariffs only to protect national security, but the administration used it as a broad economic tool against allies who pose no genuine security threat. This set a precedent that Term Two expanded dramatically.

China Trade War — Section 301 Tariffs | 2018–2020

Imposed tariffs of 7.5–25% on approximately $370 billion in Chinese goods over allegations of IP theft, forced technology transfer, and unfair trade practices.

Enacted

The USTR launched a Section 301 investigation in August 2017, finding China engaged in unfair IP practices. Tariffs were imposed in four tranches between July 2018 and September 2019, covering most Chinese imports. China retaliated with tariffs on approximately $110 billion in US goods, heavily targeting agricultural products — causing significant harm to American farmers. A "Phase One" deal was signed January 15, 2020, requiring China to purchase $200 billion in additional US goods over two years. China fell significantly short of its commitments. Biden maintained most of the tariffs. Term Two escalated them substantially.

USMCA — United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement | 2018–2020

Renegotiated NAFTA with Canada and Mexico, adding new rules on dairy market access, automobile manufacturing, and labor and environmental enforcement.

Enacted

After threatening to withdraw from NAFTA entirely, the administration renegotiated the agreement over 13 months. The USMCA was signed November 30, 2018 and ratified with strong bipartisan support — passing the House 385-41 and Senate 89-10 in January 2020. Analysts broadly viewed it as a modest NAFTA update: the most significant changes were dairy market access concessions from Canada, new rules of origin requirements for automobiles | requiring 75% North American content, strengthened labor enforcement mechanisms, and a 16-year sunset clause requiring renegotiation.

Deregulation

Two-for-One Deregulation Order | EO 13771, January 2017

Required federal agencies to eliminate two existing regulations for every new regulation they issued, and freeze net regulatory costs at zero.

Enacted

Signed January 30, 2017. Required agencies to offset any new "significant regulatory action" by eliminating at least two existing regulations and to keep net regulatory costs at zero for fiscal year 2017 and negative thereafter. In practice, the administration used the order to justify rolling back environmental, financial, labor, and consumer protection regulations. Biden revoked the order on day one. The administration claimed it saved hundreds of billions in regulatory costs; critics noted many of the rolled-back regulations protected worker safety, public health, and consumer rights.

Regulatory Freeze and Review | January 2017

Froze all pending federal regulations and required agency heads to review all regulations issued in the prior year.

Enacted

On January 20, 2017, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus issued a memo freezing all pending regulations. This is standard practice for incoming administrations. The freeze was combined with the two-for-one deregulation order and a directive requiring agency heads to review all regulations from the prior administration. Together these measures halted or reversed dozens of regulations across environmental protection, financial oversight, workplace safety, and consumer protection.

Expediting Environmental Reviews for Infrastructure | EO 13807, August 2017

Created a "one agency, one decision" framework designed to speed up federal environmental review and permitting for infrastructure projects.

Enacted

Signed August 15, 2017. Directed agencies to complete environmental reviews within two years and designated a lead agency for each project. Part of a broader effort to speed infrastructure permitting by reducing NEPA review requirements and streamlining interagency coordination. Critics argued it weakened environmental protections and limited community input on projects affecting low-income and minority communities. Biden revoked it and issued a replacement directive on environmental justice.

Environment & Energy

Paris Climate Agreement Withdrawal | Announced June 2017

Withdrew the United States from the 2015 Paris accord on greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Completed; Biden Rejoined; Term Two Withdrew Again

Announced June 1, 2017, but the Paris Agreement's own terms required a three-year waiting period before formal withdrawal. Withdrawal became effective November 4, 2020 — the day after Election Day. Biden rejoined on his first day in office by executive order. Trump withdrew again on day one of Term Two. The constitutional question: does the president have unilateral authority to exit international agreements that were structured as executive agreements — deliberately avoiding Senate ratification — and does Congress have any role in that decision?

Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth | EO 13783, March 2017

Directed agencies to review and rescind regulations that "burden" domestic energy production, including the Clean Power Plan.

Enacted

Signed March 28, 2017. Directed EPA to review and suspend Obama's Clean Power Plan. Also rescinded the social cost of carbon metric used in regulatory analysis, directed Interior to resume coal leasing on federal lands, and instructed agencies to avoid using climate considerations in their regulatory analyses. Served as the foundational directive for the administration's rollback of climate and energy regulations across the government.

Clean Power Plan Repeal / Affordable Clean Energy Rule | 2017–2021

EPA repealed Obama's Clean Power Plan limiting coal plant emissions and replaced it with a far narrower rule.

ACE Rule Struck Down

EPA officially repealed the Clean Power Plan in June 2019 and replaced it with the Affordable Clean Energy rule, limiting EPA authority to measures at individual power plants rather than system-wide grid transformation. The DC Circuit struck down the ACE rule in January 2021. The Supreme Court then took up the underlying CPP question in West Virginia v. EPA | 2022, ruling 6-3 that EPA lacked authority to mandate grid-wide energy transitions under Section 111 | d of the Clean Air Act. In doing so, the Court established the "major questions doctrine" — requiring explicit congressional authorization for executive actions of major economic or political significance.

Dakota Access Pipeline and Keystone XL Pipeline | EOs, January 2017

Directed completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline and approval of the Keystone XL pipeline over Indigenous and environmental objections.

DAPL Enacted; Keystone XL Killed by Biden

Signed January 24, 2017. The DAPL order directed the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite review and approval of the final easement needed to complete the pipeline under Lake Oahe. Courts subsequently found the environmental impact statement for the pipeline was inadequate, especially regarding the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's treaty rights. The Army Corps eventually completed a new EIS. Biden revoked the Keystone XL presidential permit on his first day; the pipeline's developer TC Energy sued under USMCA investment provisions seeking $15 billion in damages.

Withdrawal from the UN Green Climate Fund | 2017

Declined to honor the US commitment to contribute $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund for developing nations' climate adaptation.

Enacted

As part of the Paris Agreement withdrawal announcement in June 2017, Trump stated the US would not fulfill its $3 billion pledge to the Green Climate Fund, of which $1 billion had already been delivered under Obama. The US was the world's largest donor to the fund. The withdrawal significantly hampered developing nations' ability to fund climate adaptation and renewable energy projects. Biden resumed US contributions in 2021.

Rollback of Obama-Era Methane Rules | 2017–2019

Directed Interior and EPA to roll back regulations limiting methane emissions from oil and gas operations on federal lands and from new oil and gas facilities.

Partially Enacted

The administration moved to rescind Obama-era BLM rules limiting methane waste from oil and gas on federal lands and EPA rules limiting methane from new and modified oil and gas facilities. Courts blocked some rollbacks as inadequately justified under the APA. The DC Circuit vacated the BLM methane rule rollback. Biden restored methane regulations in 2021; they were then strengthened through the Inflation Reduction Act's methane fee provisions.

Healthcare

ACA Repeal Attempts | 2017

Multiple Senate attempts to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act failed, most dramatically when the "skinny repeal" failed 51-49.

Failed in Congress

The House passed the American Health Care Act in May 2017 after multiple failed attempts. The Senate voted three times on varying repeal proposals, all failing. The "skinny repeal" — intended as a procedural vehicle to get to a conference committee — failed 51-49 on July 28, 2017 when Senators John McCain, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins voted no. McCain's thumbs-down vote became iconic. Following the legislative failure, the administration pursued regulatory and litigation routes: eliminating the individual mandate penalty through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; cutting off cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers; and filing amicus briefs in Texas v. US arguing the entire ACA should be struck down. SCOTUS upheld the ACA in California v. Texas | 2021 7-2.

Minimizing the Economic Burden of the ACA | EO 13765, January 2017

Directed agencies to provide maximum flexibility to states and individuals to avoid ACA requirements pending repeal.

Enacted

Signed January 20, 2017 — the first executive order of the Trump presidency. Directed HHS and other agencies to exercise maximum discretion to waive, defer, or grant exemptions from any ACA provision that imposed a burden on states or individuals. In practice, it allowed agencies to stop enforcing certain ACA requirements and to approve state waivers that weakened coverage standards. Critics argued it damaged the ACA risk pool by allowing healthier people to opt for cheaper, less comprehensive coverage.

Cutting Off ACA Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments | October 2017

The administration stopped making cost-sharing reduction payments to health insurers, destabilizing ACA markets.

Enacted; Reversed by Courts

On October 12, 2017, Trump announced the administration would stop making cost-sharing reduction | CSR payments to health insurers — approximately $7 billion per year — that helped low-income enrollees afford out-of-pocket costs. A federal court had previously ruled in House v. Burwell that these payments required a congressional appropriation, which had not been made. Insurers responded by raising premiums sharply. Paradoxically, this caused federal subsidy costs to rise significantly because subsidies are tied to benchmark plan premiums, ultimately costing the government more money than simply paying the CSRs.

National Security & Foreign Policy

Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal — JCPOA | May 2018

Withdrew the United States from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and reimposed comprehensive sanctions on Iran.

Enacted

Announced May 8, 2018. The JCPOA, reached in 2015, had frozen Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and had been verified as effective by international inspectors. Trump called it "the worst deal ever" and withdrew, reimposing comprehensive sanctions. European allies attempted to maintain the deal without the US. Iran began exceeding JCPOA limits on uranium enrichment within a year. By the end of Term One, Iran's nuclear program had advanced significantly beyond its JCPOA-constrained state. Biden attempted to rejoin through indirect negotiations. Term Two has reimposed maximum pressure.

Jerusalem Recognized as Israel's Capital; US Embassy Moved | December 2017 / May 2018

Reversed decades of US policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv.

Enacted

Recognized December 6, 2017. The Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 had required the embassy move but every prior president had waived it citing national security. Trump did not waive it. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem opened on May 14, 2018. The UN General Assembly voted 128-9 condemning the decision. Palestinian Authority suspended contacts with the US administration. 60 Palestinians were killed and thousands injured in protests on the day the embassy opened. The Abraham Accords — normalization agreements with UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco — were credited as significant T1 diplomatic achievements in 2020.

WHO Withdrawal | April 2020

The administration gave formal notice of U.S. withdrawal from WHO in July 2020; the withdrawal was scheduled for July 6, 2021 but was reversed before taking effect.

Notice Given; Never Took Effect

The United States formally notified the United Nations in July 2020 that it intended to withdraw from the World Health Organization. Under the applicable one-year notice period, the withdrawal was scheduled to take effect July 6, 2021. President Biden reversed the decision in January 2021 before the withdrawal became effective.

Primary source: State Department — Sept. 3, 2020 update.

Withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty | May 2020

Withdrew the United States from the 1992 Open Skies Treaty allowing unarmed surveillance flights over signatory nations' territories.

Enacted

Announced May 21, 2020, citing Russian violations of the treaty. The Open Skies Treaty allowed unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the territory of the 34 signatory nations to build mutual confidence and verify arms control commitments. Allies including the UK, France, and Germany urged the US to remain in the treaty. Russia withdrew in response in 2021. Biden attempted to rejoin but Congress blocked it citing Russian violations. The withdrawal was part of a broader pattern of exiting multilateral arms control and treaty arrangements.

Withdrawal from the INF Treaty | August 2019

Formally withdrew the United States from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia.

Enacted

The US formally withdrew from the INF Treaty on August 2, 2019, citing years of Russian violations through development and deployment of the SSC-8 cruise missile. The INF Treaty, signed by Reagan and Gorbachev in 1987, had eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons. NATO allies were notified and expressed concern. Russia also suspended its obligations. The withdrawal freed both nations to develop previously prohibited intermediate-range missiles. Allies feared the consequences for European security.

Assassination of Qasem Soleimani | January 2020

Authorized a drone strike killing Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, head of the IRGC's Quds Force, at Baghdad airport.

Enacted

Authorized January 3, 2020. Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Quds Force and a designated terrorist, was killed by a US drone strike at Baghdad International Airport. The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi militia leader. Iran retaliated with ballistic missile strikes on US bases in Iraq; over 100 US service members suffered traumatic brain injuries. The strike raised significant War Powers Act questions — Congress was not consulted in advance and the administration's justification evolved over time. The House passed a War Powers Resolution against further military action against Iran | which the Senate failed to override. Iraq demanded US forces leave the country.

Abraham Accords — UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco | September–December 2020

Brokered normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab states, the first such agreements since the 1994 Jordan peace treaty.

Enacted

The Abraham Accords were brokered by Jared Kushner and signed in September and October 2020. The UAE and Bahrain signed first, in exchange for the US suspending F-35 transfers to UAE | later reversed and the US not objecting to Israeli annexation of the West Bank for the time being. Sudan normalized in exchange for removal from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and debt relief. Morocco normalized in exchange for US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Palestinian leadership denounced the deals as a betrayal. Critics noted they bypassed rather than resolved the Palestinian question.

Judiciary & Rule of Law

Three Supreme Court Appointments | Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett

Shifted the court from a 4-4-1 ideological balance to a 6-3 conservative supermajority.

Enacted

Neil Gorsuch was confirmed April 7, 2017 to fill the Scalia seat — held vacant by McConnell for 293 days to block Obama's nominee Merrick Garland. To confirm Gorsuch after Democratic filibuster, McConnell eliminated the 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court nominees | the "nuclear option". Brett Kavanaugh replaced Justice Kennedy in October 2018 after contentious hearings featuring credible sexual assault allegations from Christine Blasey Ford, who testified before the Senate. Amy Coney Barrett replaced Justice Ginsburg eight days before the 2020 election — confirmed under the opposite precedent McConnell had applied in 2016. The resulting 6-3 court has issued consequential rulings on abortion | Dobbs, administrative power | West Virginia v. EPA, Loper Bright, presidential immunity | Trump v. US, voting rights, and affirmative action.

226 Federal Judges Confirmed | 2017–2021

Confirmed a record number of federal judges, reshaping the federal judiciary at all levels with conservative and Federalist Society-vetted nominees.

Enacted

Over four years, the Trump administration confirmed 226 federal judges: 3 Supreme Court justices, 54 circuit court judges, and 174 district court judges. This was possible in part because McConnell's Senate had refused to confirm many of Obama's judicial nominees in his final two years, leaving a large number of vacancies. The Federalist Society effectively served as the vetting organization for nominees. The conservative judicial appointments have shaped rulings on everything from abortion and voting rights to administrative law and civil rights enforcement for a generation.

Two Impeachments

Impeached in December 2019 for abuse of power related to Ukraine, and in January 2021 for incitement of insurrection following the Capitol attack.

Acquitted Both Times

First impeachment | December 19, 2019: The House impeached Trump on two articles — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — related to the withholding of $391 million in congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine in exchange for a public announcement of a Biden investigation. Senate acquitted 52-48 on abuse of power, with Mitt Romney as the sole Republican to vote to convict. Second impeachment | January 13, 2021: 10 House Republicans joined all Democrats to impeach for incitement of insurrection. 57 senators voted to convict — more than in any prior presidential impeachment, and the only time a Senate majority voted to convict — but fell short of the 67 required. First president impeached twice.

Taxation

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act | December 2017

The largest overhaul of the US tax code since 1986. Cut the corporate rate from 35% to 21% permanently; individual cuts temporary through 2025.

Enacted

Signed December 22, 2017. The TCJA reduced the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% permanently, while individual income tax cuts were structured to expire in 2025 under Senate reconciliation rules. The CBO estimated the law would add approximately $1.5 trillion to the federal deficit over ten years. The law also eliminated the ACA individual mandate penalty, effectively gutting the ACA's coverage enforcement mechanism. The pass-through deduction | Section 199A allowed owners of pass-through entities — including LLCs and S-corps — to deduct up to 20% of qualified business income, a provision that disproportionately benefited real estate investment structures like those used by the Trump Organization. The SALT deduction cap of $10,000 was controversial in high-tax states.

Civil Rights & Social Policy

Transgender Military Ban | July 2017 / March 2019

The Supreme Court stayed lower-court injunctions in 2019, allowing the Mattis policy to take effect while litigation continued; it did not issue a final merits ruling upholding the policy.

Injunctions Stayed; No Final SCOTUS Merits Ruling

The first-term litigation over transgender military service produced nationwide injunctions against the administration’s policy. In January 2019, the Supreme Court stayed those injunctions while appeals continued, allowing the revised Mattis policy to take effect. The stay was an emergency procedural ruling, not a final Supreme Court judgment on the policy’s constitutionality. The policy was later reversed by President Biden.

Religious Liberty Executive Order | EO 13798, May 2017

Directed agencies to protect and promote religious liberty and limited enforcement of the Johnson Amendment prohibiting political activity by tax-exempt organizations.

Enacted

Signed May 4, 2017 at the National Day of Prayer event. Directed agencies to protect religious organizations' ability to engage in political speech without losing tax-exempt status — effectively limiting enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits political activities by nonprofits. Also directed agencies to consider accommodations for those with religious objections to healthcare requirements including contraception coverage. Critics argued it allowed religious organizations to serve as political vehicles and created a hierarchy of rights in which religious liberty trumped anti-discrimination protections.

Withdrawal of Transgender Bathroom Guidance | February 2017

Rescinded Obama-era guidance directing schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their gender identity.

Enacted

On February 22, 2017, the Departments of Education and Justice jointly rescinded the Obama administration's "Dear Colleague" letter directing schools to allow transgender students to use facilities consistent with their gender identity. The rescission left the question to states and school districts. Courts were divided on whether Title IX and Title VII required such accommodations. The Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County | 2020 that Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination extends to gender identity and sexual orientation in employment — a ruling with implications for how Title IX is interpreted in education.

COVID-19 Response

Operation Warp Speed | May 2020

A public-private partnership that funded the development of COVID-19 vaccines at unprecedented speed, resulting in authorized vaccines within nine months.

Enacted

Announced May 15, 2020. Operation Warp Speed provided approximately $18 billion in federal funding to accelerate the development, manufacture, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics. Vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna were authorized under Emergency Use Authorization in December 2020 — nine months from announcement, compared to the previous record of four years. Johnson & Johnson received authorization in February 2021. The speed was achieved partly through parallel development and manufacturing, running processes simultaneously rather than sequentially. The program is widely credited as the most significant achievement of the Trump administration's COVID response.

COVID-19 Title 42 Border Policy | March 2020

Invoked public health authority to turn back virtually all migrants at the border without processing asylum claims, citing COVID-19 prevention.

Enacted; Extended by Biden; Ended 2023

On March 20, 2020, the CDC issued an order under Title 42 of the Public Health Service Act allowing border officials to turn back migrants without processing their asylum claims, citing COVID-19 prevention. The order was widely criticized by public health experts as a misuse of public health authority for immigration enforcement purposes — the CDC's own scientists objected internally. Millions of encounters were processed under Title 42 through Trump and Biden administrations. Biden attempted to end it but was blocked by courts. Title 42 finally expired in May 2023. A significant share of asylum seekers turned back under Title 42 faced violence and persecution in Mexico.

Immigration & Citizenship

Birthright Citizenship Executive Order | EO 14160, January 20, 2025

Attempted to end birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented or temporary immigrants, directly challenging the 14th Amendment.

SCOTUS Rejected EO

On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court decided Trump v. Barbara and held that children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment's Citizenship Clause. That merits ruling resolved the core constitutional question against Executive Order 14160.

Primary source: U.S. Supreme Court — Trump v. Barbara (June 30, 2026).

Securing the Border | EO 14165, January 20, 2025

Directed comprehensive border security measures including increased physical barriers, additional personnel, expanded detention, and reinstated Migrant Protection Protocols.

In Force; Program-Specific Litigation

Executive Order 14165 directed a broad set of border-enforcement measures, including additional barriers, personnel, detention capacity, and renewed use of the Migrant Protection Protocols. The order is best treated as a policy umbrella rather than a single legal dispute: different components have been implemented, modified, or litigated under different statutes. This archive therefore does not label the entire order simply “constitutional” or “unconstitutional.”

Primary source: White House — EO 14165.

Protecting the American People Against Invasion | EO 14159, January 20, 2025

Declared migration at the southern border a constitutional "invasion" and directed aggressive enforcement including expansion of expedited removal.

In Force; Multiple Provisions Litigated

Executive Order 14159 directed expanded immigration enforcement, registration, detention, removal, and federal-state cooperation. It also supplied policy direction used in later immigration actions. The order contains many distinct directives, so the legal posture varies by provision and implementing action. The Alien Enemies Act litigation is tracked separately in this database.

Primary source: White House — EO 14159.

"Invasion" Declaration / Alien Enemies Act Invocation | March 2025

Invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act against alleged Tren de Aragua members; Supreme Court required notice and access to habeas review before removal.

Due-Process Rules Set; Merits Litigation Continued

The administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act in March 2025 against certain Venezuelan nationals alleged to be members of Tren de Aragua. The Supreme Court did not decide in 2025 whether the proclamation lawfully fit the Act's substantive requirements. In Trump v. J.G.G., the Court held that challenges to removal under the AEA must proceed through habeas in the district of confinement and that detainees are entitled to notice and an opportunity to seek review before removal. In A.A.R.P. v. Trump, the Court again required meaningful notice before removals could proceed. This entry therefore tracks an unresolved merits controversy alongside clear procedural protections imposed by the Court.

Primary sources: Trump v. J.G.G. (Apr. 7, 2025) · A.A.R.P. v. Trump (May 16, 2025).

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deportation and Defiance of Court Order | March 2025

Illegally removed to El Salvador despite a withholding order; Supreme Court required the government to facilitate his release and restore proper process.

Returned to U.S.; Later Litigation Continued

Abrego Garcia was removed to El Salvador in March 2025 despite a 2019 withholding order prohibiting his removal to that country. The U.S. government acknowledged to the Supreme Court that the removal was illegal and resulted from an administrative error. On April 10, 2025, the Supreme Court required the government to facilitate his release from custody in El Salvador and ensure that his case was handled as it would have been absent the improper removal. He was returned to the United States in June 2025, when DOJ announced a separate federal criminal indictment. Those later criminal and immigration proceedings are distinct from the legality of the March 2025 removal.

Primary sources: Noem v. Abrego Garcia (Apr. 10, 2025) · DOJ announcement confirming U.S. criminal proceedings (June 6, 2025).

Ending Humanitarian Parole Programs | January 2025

DHS ended the CHNV categorical parole programs; Supreme Court stayed a lower-court order that had temporarily blocked early termination of existing grants.

CHNV Termination Allowed to Proceed

DHS terminated the categorical CHNV parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans in March 2025. A federal district court temporarily blocked the categorical early termination of existing parole grants, but on May 30, 2025, the Supreme Court stayed that order while the litigation continued. DHS subsequently began issuing termination notices. This entry is narrowed to the CHNV program because other parole programs, including Ukraine-related and family-reunification programs, have distinct legal authorities and timelines.

Primary sources: Federal Register notice — CHNV termination · DHS — termination notices after Supreme Court stay.

Executive Power / Administrative State

DOGE — Department of Government Efficiency | EO 14158, January 20, 2025

EO 14158 created the U.S. DOGE Service and a temporary DOGE organization in the Executive Office of the President; the temporary organization expired July 4, 2026.

Temporary DOGE Organization Ended July 4, 2026

Executive Order 14158 renamed the U.S. Digital Service as the U.S. DOGE Service and created a separate U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization inside the Executive Office of the President. The order specified that the temporary organization would terminate on July 4, 2026, while expressly stating that its termination would not end the other authorities in the order. Litigation over agency DOGE-team access to sensitive records produced mixed procedural outcomes; for example, the Supreme Court allowed the Social Security Administration to provide its DOGE team access to agency records while that case proceeded. The original archive's description of DOGE as a non-governmental advisory entity was inaccurate.

Primary sources: EO 14158 · SSA v. AFSCME (June 6, 2025).

Federal Funding Freeze | OMB Memo, January 27, 2025

The broad January 2025 OMB memo was withdrawn; later withholding disputes were litigated and reviewed program by program under appropriations law.

Memo Withdrawn; Program-Specific Impoundment Findings Followed

OMB's January 27, 2025 memorandum directing a broad pause in federal financial assistance was withdrawn after immediate litigation. The broader appropriations dispute did not end there: throughout 2025, GAO reviewed program-specific withholding and delay questions under the Impoundment Control Act and reached different conclusions depending on the program. GAO found violations in some matters, no violation in others, and mixed results in still others. The archive should therefore avoid describing every subsequent funding pause as a single unlawful 'freeze.'

Primary source: U.S. GAO — Impoundment Control Act decisions and overview.

Schedule F Reinstatement | EO 14171, January 20, 2025

The former Schedule F concept became Schedule Policy/Career; OPM finalized the rule in February 2026 and implementation began after a June 2026 executive order.

Schedule Policy/Career Implemented in 2026

The 2025 executive order restored the policy concept formerly known as Schedule F, but implementation evolved through rulemaking. OPM finalized the Schedule Policy/Career rule in February 2026. The President then issued an implementing executive order on June 3, 2026, and OPM directed agencies to begin identifying and moving qualifying policy-influencing positions into the new excepted-service schedule. OPM states that the category is for policy-influencing positions and says the final rule should not be used simply as a vehicle for mass firings or organizational restructurings. Litigation and disputes over employee protections remain separate from the fact that the classification is now being implemented.

Primary sources: OPM — Schedule Policy/Career implementation hub · OPM final-rule announcement.

Independent Agency Firings | FTC, NLRB, MSPB

Fired commissioners and board members of independent regulatory agencies with statutory for-cause removal protections.

SCOTUS Upheld Presidential Removal Power

On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court decided Trump v. Slaughter. The Court held that the FTC's for-cause removal protection violated separation-of-powers principles and said that, for officials exercising executive power, the President must be able to remove subordinates at will. The Court expressly left some questions for another day, including the status of Federal Reserve tenure protections.

Primary source: U.S. Supreme Court — Trump v. Slaughter (June 29, 2026).

USAID Dismantlement | January–February 2025

DOGE effectively shut down USAID within weeks, firing nearly all staff and canceling thousands of active foreign assistance contracts.

USAID Ceased Implementing Foreign Assistance

By July 2025, USAID had ceased implementing foreign assistance and remaining contracts and grants were transferred to the Department of State. A March 2026 GAO report describes the 2025 reorganization and the transfer of USAID functions. This entry should be read as a record of the administration's dismantling and transfer of operations; separate constitutional and statutory challenges should be identified by specific court ruling rather than treated as resolved here.

Primary source: U.S. GAO — Democracy Assistance (March 9, 2026).

Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government | EO 14147, January 20, 2025

Directed DOJ and FBI to review all investigations and prosecutions of the administration's political allies and opponents.

Policy Directive; Implementation Ongoing

Executive Order 14147 directed the Attorney General and other agencies to review specified federal enforcement activity from the prior administration and identify what the order describes as “weaponization.” The order itself is a review-and-policy directive. Claims about later investigations, dismissals, personnel actions, or prosecutions should be sourced to those individual actions rather than attributed automatically to the executive order.

Primary source: White House — EO 14147.

Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies | EO 14215, February 18, 2025

Directed all executive agencies — including independent regulatory agencies — to submit their regulatory agendas and significant regulatory actions to the White House for review and approval.

In Force; Structural Questions Partly Resolved

Executive Order 14215 subjected independent regulatory agencies to additional White House coordination, including OIRA review of significant regulations and presidential/Attorney General supervision of legal interpretations. The Supreme Court’s 2026 removal decisions strengthened presidential control over many executive officers, while Trump v. Cook treated the Federal Reserve as presenting a distinct historical and statutory question. The order remains a structural executive-branch directive; specific agency applications should be evaluated separately.

Primary sources: EO 14215 · Trump v. Cook (June 29, 2026).

Deregulation / Administrative

Initial Rescissions of Biden Executive Orders | EO 14148, January 20, 2025

Revoked approximately 80 Biden executive orders, memoranda, and related actions — the largest single-day rescission in modern history.

Enacted

Executive Order 14148 revoked a large set of Biden-era executive actions on the first day of the second Trump administration. Revocation of a predecessor’s executive orders is generally an exercise of presidential control over prior executive policy; the legality of replacement policies or agency actions must be evaluated separately. The White House maintains the current list of revoked actions in the order itself.

Primary source: White House — EO 14148.

Unleashing American Energy | EO 14154, January 20, 2025

Declared a national energy emergency and directed agencies to maximize domestic fossil fuel production, reversed Biden-era clean energy policies, and reopened areas closed to drilling.

In Force; Funding Effects Varied by Program

Executive Order 14154 directed agencies to promote domestic energy development and review or pause specified Biden-era climate and infrastructure policies. GAO later examined several funding pauses connected to the order and reached program-specific results — finding violations in some programs and no violation in others. The archive therefore avoids treating the order’s funding consequences as one uniform legal outcome.

Primary sources: EO 14154 · GAO — Impoundment Control Act decisions.

Regulatory Relief — Ten-for-One Deregulation | EO 14192, January 31, 2025

Required federal agencies to eliminate ten existing regulations for every new regulation issued, dramatically expanding the Term One two-for-one requirement.

In Force

Executive Order 14192 established a government-wide deregulatory policy requiring agencies, subject to OMB implementation, to identify multiple deregulatory actions for each new significant regulatory action and to meet regulatory-cost targets. The order is an executive management directive; whether a particular repeal or replacement is lawful depends on the governing statute and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Primary source: White House — EO 14192.

Tariffs & Trade

Reciprocal Tariffs / "Liberation Day" | EO 14257, April 2, 2025

The most sweeping use of emergency trade powers in American history — tariffs on imports from approximately 180 countries under IEEPA emergency authority.

IEEPA Tariffs Invalidated by SCOTUS

On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court held in Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, consolidated with V.O.S. Selections, that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. The decision invalidated the reciprocal tariffs imposed under IEEPA. It did not eliminate tariff authority Congress has separately delegated under other trade statutes.

Primary source: U.S. Supreme Court — Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump (Feb. 20, 2026).

Canada and Mexico Tariffs | February 2025

Imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, citing drug trafficking and migration as national emergencies under IEEPA.

IEEPA Drug-Trafficking Tariffs Invalidated

The Canada and Mexico tariffs in this entry were imposed under IEEPA based on declared drug-trafficking and border emergencies. On February 20, 2026, the Supreme Court held that IEEPA does not authorize presidential tariffs, resolving the statutory authority question against these IEEPA tariff programs. Other tariffs imposed under separate trade statutes must be analyzed independently.

Primary source: U.S. Supreme Court — Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump (Feb. 20, 2026).

First Amendment / Institutions

Law Firm Executive Orders / Retaliation Campaign | February–April 2025

Executive orders targeted several law firms over past clients, lawyers, and policies; four firms won district-court judgments and the government's appeals reached the D.C. Circuit.

Four Orders Struck Down; Appeals Argued in 2026

Four law firms — Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, and Susman Godfrey — challenged executive orders directed specifically at their firms. Federal district judges ruled against the administration in all four cases, finding constitutional defects including retaliation for protected speech and legal representation. The government later pursued appeals, and the D.C. Circuit heard argument in May 2026. This entry should therefore distinguish the firms that litigated and won district-court judgments from other firms that reached agreements with the administration.

Current-status sources: Knight First Amendment Institute — consolidated case status · ACLU-D.C. — law-firm order litigation.

University Funding Threats and DEI Targeting | 2025

Federal funding freezes, investigations, and negotiated agreements targeted multiple universities; outcomes vary by institution and legal theory.

Multiple Funding Disputes and Lawsuits Ongoing

The administration used federal grants, contracts, civil-rights investigations, and other leverage in disputes with major universities over antisemitism, campus protests, admissions, DEI, and institutional governance. These disputes did not produce one uniform legal outcome. Harvard challenged billions of dollars in grant freezes and related federal actions, while DOJ filed a separate Title VI antisemitism suit against Harvard in March 2026. Other universities entered agreements, won program-specific funding cases, or remained under investigation. The archive should track universities and legal actions separately rather than label the entire campaign as one resolved First Amendment case.

Current-status sources: Harvard — federal litigation hub · DOJ — Harvard Title VI suit, March 20, 2026.

Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media | EO, May 1, 2025

EO 14290 sought to cut federal support for NPR and PBS; a federal judge ruled the order unlawful and unenforceable in March 2026.

Federal Judge Ruled Order Unlawful in 2026

Executive Order 14290 directed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and federal agencies to stop direct and indirect federal funding for NPR and PBS. NPR, PBS, and member stations challenged the order. In March 2026, a federal judge ruled that the funding directive was unlawful and unenforceable, including on First Amendment grounds tied to retaliation for protected editorial speech. This entry should not be described merely as a threatened funding cut; it produced a merits ruling in federal court.

Case background: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse — Public Broadcasting Service v. Trump.

DEI & Civil Rights

Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity | EO 14173, January 20, 2025

EO 14173 targets DEI practices the administration considers discriminatory; the Fourth Circuit vacated the preliminary nationwide injunction in February 2026.

Fourth Circuit Vacated Nationwide Injunction

Executive Order 14173 revoked the federal-contractor affirmative-action framework created by Executive Order 11246 and directed agencies to combat what the administration calls unlawful private-sector DEI discrimination. A district court preliminarily enjoined key provisions in 2025, but on February 6, 2026, the Fourth Circuit reversed that preliminary-injunction ruling in National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump. The court concluded that the plaintiffs' facial constitutional challenges were unlikely to succeed at that stage; it did not hold that every possible enforcement action or every administration interpretation of 'illegal DEI' is lawful. Enforcement therefore resumed while related litigation continued.

Case status: NADOHE v. Trump docket.

Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government | EO 14168, January 20, 2025

Directed federal agencies to recognize only two biological sexes and required use of "sex" rather than "gender identity" in all federal documents and programs.

In Force; Applications Litigated

Executive Order 14168 directs federal agencies to use the administration’s definition of sex across federal policy and records. Its implementation has affected passports, detention policy, grants, education, and other programs, producing separate lawsuits with different legal theories and outcomes. This entry therefore describes the order as an active policy framework rather than assigning one blanket court status to every application.

Primary source: White House — EO 14168.

Pardons & Rule of Law

January 6 Pardons | 1,500+ Individuals, January 20, 2025

Trump commuted 14 named January 6 sentences, pardoned all other people convicted of covered federal January 6 offenses, and directed dismissal of pending covered indictments.

Blanket Clemency Issued January 20, 2025

On January 20, 2025, President Trump used his Article II clemency power to commute the sentences of 14 named defendants to time served, grant a full and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of federal offenses related to the events at or near the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and direct the Attorney General to seek dismissal with prejudice of pending January 6 indictments. The action changed the federal criminal consequences of those cases; it did not erase the historical record of convictions or judicial findings that preceded the clemency grants.

Primary sources: White House clemency proclamation · DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney.

National Security & Foreign Policy

WHO Withdrawal | EO 14155, January 20, 2025

The United States completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization on January 22, 2026.

U.S. Withdrawal Took Effect January 22, 2026

Executive Order 14155 restarted U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization on January 20, 2025. The United Nations depositary recorded the notification on January 22, 2025 and stated that withdrawal would take effect one year later. On January 22, 2026, the State Department and HHS announced termination of U.S. membership in the WHO. This entry is therefore no longer a pending-withdrawal item: the withdrawal took effect in January 2026.

Primary sources: EO 14155 · UN depositary notification · State/HHS joint statement, Jan. 22, 2026.

Withdrawing from UN Organizations | EO, February 4, 2025

EO 14199 ended U.S. participation in the UN Human Rights Council, barred UNRWA funding, and launched a review that expanded into a broader 2026 withdrawal directive.

2025 Review Expanded into 2026 Withdrawals

Executive Order 14199, issued February 4, 2025, ended U.S. participation in the UN Human Rights Council, barred future funding for UNRWA, and ordered a broader review of U.S. participation in and support for international organizations. That review later produced a January 7, 2026 presidential memorandum directing withdrawal from 66 international organizations, conventions, and treaties identified by the administration as contrary to U.S. interests. This entry therefore tracks a two-stage policy: the February 2025 UN-specific order and the much broader January 2026 withdrawal directive.

Primary sources: EO 14199 · Jan. 7, 2026 withdrawal memorandum.

Sanctioning the International Criminal Court | EO, February 6, 2025

EO 14203 created an ICC sanctions regime that OFAC implemented and expanded through later designations; the program remained active in 2026.

Sanctions Program Active and Expanded

Executive Order 14203, issued February 6, 2025, created a sanctions framework targeting specified ICC officials and others connected to certain ICC actions involving the United States, Israel, and other U.S. allies. OFAC implemented the program in 2025 and expanded designations over time to include ICC officials, judges, and certain outside organizations and individuals. OFAC's current program page lists the ICC-related sanctions regime as active and records additional designation and removal actions in 2026. The archive should therefore describe this as an ongoing sanctions program rather than a one-time executive order.

Primary sources: EO 14203 · OFAC — ICC-related sanctions program · OFAC — Aug. 20, 2025 ICC designations.

Social Policy

Transgender Military Ban Reinstatement | EO 14183, January 27, 2025

The Supreme Court stayed a lower-court injunction in May 2025, allowing the military policy to operate while appeals continued; no final merits holding is claimed here.

Policy Allowed to Operate During Appeal

Executive Order 14183 and subsequent Defense Department policy restricted military service for many transgender personnel. Federal district courts issued preliminary injunctions, but on May 6, 2025, the Supreme Court stayed the injunction in United States v. Shilling while the appeal proceeded. That emergency order allowed the policy to operate during litigation; it was not a final Supreme Court ruling on the merits. The archive should therefore avoid saying the Supreme Court 'upheld' the policy.

Primary source: U.S. Supreme Court — stay order, May 6, 2025.

Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias | EO, February 6, 2025

EO 14202 created an interagency task force; DOJ published the task force's federal report in April 2026.

Task Force Issued 2026 Federal Report

Executive Order 14202 created an interagency Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias within the federal government. The task force held its first meeting in April 2025 and, on April 30, 2026, DOJ published a roughly 200-page report compiling participating agencies' findings and actions. The report is an executive-branch document presenting the administration's findings and policy conclusions; the archive should attribute those findings to the task force rather than state them as independently adjudicated facts.

Primary source: DOJ — Task Force report announcement, April 30, 2026.

Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports | EO 14201, February 5, 2025

EO 14201 directs Title IX enforcement based on the administration's sex definition; federal enforcement continued into 2026 and remains legally contested.

Active Federal Enforcement and Litigation

Executive Order 14201 directed federal agencies to interpret and enforce Title IX based on the administration's definition of sex and to oppose participation by transgender women and girls in women's sports. The Education Department reported active enforcement and resolution agreements under that interpretation, and DOJ pursued litigation against institutions and jurisdictions it said were violating Title IX. The order remains part of a broader, contested set of federal sex-discrimination policies; this entry should describe the administration's legal position rather than treat its interpretation of Title IX as a settled Supreme Court holding.

Primary sources: EO 14201 · Department of Education FY2025 Agency Financial Report.

Term One Executive Order Reference — All 220 EOs | EO 13765–EO 13984, January 2017–January 2021. Organized by policy category. EO number, title, date, and status for every order. Click any row to expand for detail on consequential orders.

EO #	Title	Date	Status	Category
13765	Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal	Jan 20, 2017	Enacted	Healthcare / ACA
13766	Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals for High Priority Infrastructure Projects	Jan 24, 2017	Enacted	Infrastructure / environment
13767	Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements	Jan 25, 2017	Enacted	Immigration / border wall
13768	Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States	Jan 25, 2017	Blocked	Sanctuary cities defunding
13769	Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States	Jan 27, 2017	Blocked	Travel ban v.1
13770	Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Appointees	Jan 28, 2017	Enacted	Ethics / lobbying ban
13771	Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs	Jan 30, 2017	Enacted	Two-for-one deregulation
13772	Core Principles for Regulating the United States Financial System	Feb 3, 2017	Enacted	Financial deregulation / Dodd-Frank review
13773	Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking	Feb 9, 2017	Enacted	Criminal organizations / cartels
13774	Preventing Violence Against Federal, State, Tribal, and Local Law Enforcement Officers	Feb 9, 2017	Enacted	Law enforcement protection
13775	Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice	Feb 9, 2017	Revoked by EO 13787	DOJ succession
13776	Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety	Feb 9, 2017	Enacted	Crime / public safety task force
13777	Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda	Feb 24, 2017	Enacted	Regulatory reform task forces in agencies
13778	Restoring the Rule of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the "Waters of the United States" Rule	Feb 28, 2017	Enacted	WOTUS / clean water rule rollback
13783	Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth	Mar 28, 2017	Enacted	Clean Power Plan review; fossil fuels
13785	Establishing Enhanced Collection and Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders	Mar 31, 2017	Enacted	Trade / anti-dumping enforcement
13786	Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits	Mar 31, 2017	Enacted	Trade deficit review — precursor to tariff actions
13787	Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice	Mar 31, 2017	Enacted	DOJ succession \| revised
13788	Buy American and Hire American	Apr 18, 2017	Enacted	H-1B visa review; federal procurement
13789	Identifying and Reducing Tax Regulatory Burdens	Apr 21, 2017	Enacted	Tax regulation review
13790	Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America	Apr 25, 2017	Enacted	Agriculture / rural prosperity task force
13791	Enforcing Statutory Prohibitions on Federal Control of Education	Apr 26, 2017	Enacted	Education / federal overreach limitation
13792	Review of Designations Under the Antiquities Act	Apr 26, 2017	Partial	National monuments review — Bears Ears, Grand Staircase
13793	Revocation of Federal Contracting Executive Orders	Mar 27, 2017	Enacted	Reversed Obama labor-friendly contracting rules
13795	Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy	Apr 28, 2017	Enacted	Offshore oil/gas leasing expansion
13796	Addressing Trade Agreement Violations and Abuses	Apr 29, 2017	Enacted	Trade violations review
13797	Establishment of Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy	Apr 29, 2017	Enacted	Created White House trade policy office
13798	Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty	May 4, 2017	Enacted	Johnson Amendment enforcement; religious liberty
13799	Establishment of Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity	May 11, 2017	Disbanded Jan 2018	Voter fraud commission — disbanded after stonewalling by states
13800	Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure	May 11, 2017	Enacted	Federal cybersecurity modernization
13807	Establishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process for Infrastructure Projects	Aug 15, 2017	Enacted	One Federal Decision — speeding environmental review
13808	Imposing Additional Sanctions With Respect to Venezuela	Aug 24, 2017	Enacted	Venezuela financial sanctions
13809	Restoring State, Tribal, and Local Law Enforcement's Access to Life-Saving Equipment and Resources	Aug 28, 2017	Enacted	Restored Pentagon surplus equipment transfers to police
13780	Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States \| Revised	Mar 6, 2017	Blocked	Travel ban v.2 — also blocked by courts
13810	Imposing Additional Sanctions With Respect to North Korea	Sep 20, 2017	Enacted	North Korea financial sanctions
13818	Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption	Dec 20, 2017	Enacted	Global Magnitsky sanctions authority
13821	Streamlining and Expediting Requests to Locate Broadband Facilities in Rural America	Jan 8, 2018	Enacted	Rural broadband infrastructure
13825	2018 Amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States	Mar 1, 2018	Enacted	Military justice reform
13836	Developing Efficient, Effective, and Cost-Reducing Approaches to Federal Sector Collective Bargaining	May 25, 2018	Partially Blocked	Federal union bargaining restrictions
13837	Ensuring Transparency, Accountability, and Efficiency in Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Use	May 25, 2018	Partially Blocked	Federal union official time restrictions
13839	Promoting Accountability and Streamlining Removal Procedures Consistent with Merit System Principles	May 25, 2018	Partially Blocked	Federal employee grievance restrictions
13842	Amending Executive Order 13223	Jul 3, 2018	Enacted	Reserve forces activation authority
13843	Excepting Administrative Law Judges from the Competitive Service	Jul 10, 2018	Enacted	ALJ hiring — followed SCOTUS Lucia v. SEC ruling
13848	Imposing Certain Sanctions in the Event of Foreign Interference in a United States Election	Sep 12, 2018	Enacted	Election interference sanctions authority
13850	Blocking Property of Additional Persons Contributing to the Situation in Venezuela	Nov 1, 2018	Enacted	Venezuela sanctions expansion
13851	Imposing Sanctions With Respect to the Situation in Nicaragua	Nov 27, 2018	Enacted	Nicaragua sanctions
13853	Amending Executive Order 13581	Dec 26, 2018	Enacted	Transnational criminal organizations sanctions update
13854	Strengthening Retirement Security in America	Aug 31, 2018	Enacted	Retirement security / multiple employer plans
13855	Presidential Executive Order on Protecting American Inventions and Innovation	Dec 12, 2018	Enacted	China IP protection / American innovation
13856	Regarding United States Agency for International Development	Dec 11, 2018	Revoked	USAID reform directive
13857	Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency With Respect to Venezuela	Jan 25, 2019	Enacted	Venezuela — Guaidó recognition / PDVSA sanctions
13859	Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence	Feb 11, 2019	Enacted	American AI Initiative — federal AI strategy
13860	Supporting the Transition of Active Duty Service Members and Military Veterans into the Merchant Marine	Mar 4, 2019	Enacted	Veterans / merchant marine transition
13861	National Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End Suicide	Mar 5, 2019	Enacted	Veterans suicide prevention initiative
13868	Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic Growth	Apr 10, 2019	Enacted	Energy infrastructure / pipeline permitting
13873	Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain	May 15, 2019	Enacted	Huawei ban / telecom supply chain security
13876	Imposing Sanctions With Respect to Iran	Jun 24, 2019	Enacted	Iran sanctions expansion post-JCPOA withdrawal
13884	Blocking Property of the Government of Venezuela	Aug 5, 2019	Enacted	Broad Venezuela government asset freeze
13885	Establishing the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee	Aug 30, 2019	Enacted	Quantum computing advisory committee
13886	Modernizing Sanctions to Combat Terrorism	Sep 9, 2019	Enacted	Terrorism sanctions modernization
13890	Protecting and Improving Medicare for Our Nation's Seniors	Oct 3, 2019	Enacted	Medicare reform initiative
13894	Blocking Property and Suspending Entry of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Syria	Oct 14, 2019	Enacted	Turkey sanctions after Syrian withdrawal
13895	Establishing the White House Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing	Oct 25, 2019	Enacted	Housing affordability — zoning reform push
13899	Combating Anti-Semitism	Dec 11, 2019	Enacted	Title VI antisemitism enforcement — Jewish nationhood question
13902	Imposing Sanctions With Respect to Additional Sectors of Iran	Jan 10, 2020	Enacted	Iran sanctions — post-Soleimani strike
13912	National Emergency Authority to Order the Selected Reserve and Certain Members of the Individual Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active Duty	Mar 27, 2020	Enacted	COVID — National Guard activation authority
13910	Preventing Hoarding of Health and Medical Resources Necessary to Respond to the Spread of COVID-19	Mar 23, 2020	Enacted	COVID — PPE hoarding prohibition
13911	Delegating Additional Authority Under the DPA to the Secretary of Agriculture	Mar 27, 2020	Enacted	COVID — Defense Production Act / food supply
13917	Delegating Authority Under the DPA with Respect to Food Supply Chain Resources	Apr 28, 2020	Enacted	COVID — meatpacking / essential workers
13924	Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery	May 19, 2020	Enacted	COVID economic recovery deregulation
13925	Preventing Online Censorship	May 28, 2020	Blocked / Revoked Biden	Section 230 / social media censorship — limited legal effect
13929	Safe Policing for Safe Communities	Jun 16, 2020	Enacted	Police reform — following George Floyd protests
13933	Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence	Jun 26, 2020	Enacted	Confederate monument protection
13934	Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes	Jul 3, 2020	Enacted	National Garden of American Heroes
13935	Combating Sex Discrimination in Education	Jun 12, 2020	Enacted	Title IX biological sex interpretation
13936	The President's Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization	Jul 14, 2020	Enacted	Hong Kong — revoked special trading status
13940	Aligning Federal Contracting and Hiring Practices with the Interest of American Workers	Aug 3, 2020	Enacted	H-1B visa restrictions / American worker preference
13943	Addressing the Threat Posed by WeChat	Aug 6, 2020	Blocked	WeChat ban — blocked by courts; revoked Biden
13942	Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok	Aug 6, 2020	Blocked	TikTok ban — blocked by courts; revoked Biden; Term Two reversed
13945	Fighting the Spread of COVID-19 by Providing Assistance to Renters and Homeowners	Aug 8, 2020	Enacted	COVID eviction / foreclosure relief
13950	Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping	Sep 22, 2020	Blocked / Revoked Biden	Anti-CRT / DEI training ban in federal agencies
13957	Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service	Oct 21, 2020	Enacted Term One; Revoked Biden; Reinstated Term Two	Schedule F — at-will federal employees
13958	Establishing the President's Advisory 1776 Commission	Nov 2, 2020	Disbanded Biden Day 1	Patriotic education / anti-1619 Project commission
13959	Addressing the Threat From Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies	Nov 12, 2020	Enacted	Chinese military company investment ban
13960	Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government	Dec 3, 2020	Enacted	Federal AI governance principles
13961	Governance and Integration of Federal Mission Resilience	Dec 7, 2020	Enacted	Federal resilience / continuity of operations
13971	Addressing the Threat Posed by Applications and Other Software Developed or Controlled by Chinese Companies	Jan 5, 2021	Blocked / Revoked Biden	Chinese app ban \| Alipay, WeChat Pay, etc.
13984	Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency With Respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities	Jan 19, 2021	Enacted	Cloud services foreign adversary restrictions

Term Two Executive Order Reference — 243+ EOs as of April 2026 | EO 14147 onward, January 20, 2025–present. This is the most prolific first year of EOs in modern history — 225 in 2025 alone, surpassing Trump's entire first term.

EO status note: Status labels summarize the most important current posture known for the order as of this audit. Many executive orders contain multiple directives, and a court ruling on one implementation does not necessarily invalidate the entire order.

EO #	Title	Date	Status	Category
14147	Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	DOJ/FBI review of politically motivated investigations
14148	Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Revoked ~80 Biden EOs — immigration, climate, DEI, contracting
14159	Protecting the American People Against Invasion	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Invasion declaration; expedited removal expansion
14160	Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship	Jan 20, 2025	Invalidated on merits by SCOTUS	Birthright citizenship elimination — 4 courts blocked
14161	Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Travel ban v.3; 60-day review of vetting procedures
14154	Unleashing American Energy	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Energy emergency; Paris withdrawal; LNG permits; ANWR
14168	Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government	Jan 20, 2025	In force; applications litigated	Two-sex federal policy; passport/prison rules
14158	Establishing and Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency	Jan 20, 2025	Temporary DOGE organization ended Jul 4, 2026	DOGE — Elon Musk; FACA violations; data access
14171	Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce	Jan 20, 2025	Schedule Policy/Career implementing	Schedule F reinstatement
14173	Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity	Jan 20, 2025	In force after 4th Cir. reversed injunction	DEI elimination — federal and contractor
14155	Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization	Jan 20, 2025	Withdrawal completed Jan 22, 2026	WHO withdrawal — 2nd time; 1-year notice required
14163	Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Suspended refugee admissions program
14165	Securing Our Borders	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Wall construction; MPP reinstatement; detention expansion
14169	Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	USAID 90-day review; foreign aid freeze
14170	Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Skills-based federal hiring; DEI-free hiring
14172	Declassifying Information Regarding the Weaponization of the Federal Government Against Political Opponents	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Declassification of Trump surveillance / FBI investigation records
14174	Clarifying the Military's Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Military at the border — expanded Posse Comitatus exception
14175	Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Cartel / MS-13 / Tren de Aragua FTO designations
14176	Expressing a National Policy of Granting Full Pardons for Certain Offenses Committed by January 6, 2021, Capitol Protestors	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Jan. 6 pardons — 1,500+ individuals
14177	Application of Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act to TikTok	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	TikTok — reversed T1 ban; delayed divestiture requirement
14178	Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements	Jan 20, 2025	Enacted	Paris Agreement withdrawal; climate accord review
14183	Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness	Jan 27, 2025	In force during appeal	Transgender military ban reinstatement
14201	Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports	Feb 5, 2025	In force; enforcement/litigation ongoing	Transgender girls/women banned from female sports in federally funded schools
14193	Imposing Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Northern Border	Feb 1, 2025	Partially in Force	25% Canada tariffs — IEEPA / drug trafficking emergency
14194	Imposing Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Southern Border	Feb 1, 2025	Partially in Force	25% Mexico tariffs — IEEPA / fentanyl emergency
14195	Imposing Duties to Address the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People's Republic of China	Feb 1, 2025	Enacted	10% China tariffs — IEEPA / fentanyl precursor emergency
14204	Establishing the National Energy Dominance Council	Feb 14, 2025	Enacted	Energy dominance council — coordinates fossil fuel expansion
14205	Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court	Feb 6, 2025	Enacted	ICC sanctions — Netanyahu arrest warrant response
14215	Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies	Feb 18, 2025	In force	White House control over independent agencies
14216	Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy	Feb 19, 2025	Enacted	Directed elimination of "unnecessary" federal entities
14219	Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Deregulatory Initiative	Feb 19, 2025	Enacted	DOGE deregulation — agencies identify rules to cut
14192	Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation	Jan 31, 2025	Enacted	Ten-for-one deregulation requirement
14257	Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits	Apr 2, 2025	IEEPA tariff authority rejected by SCOTUS	"Liberation Day" — global reciprocal tariffs; IEEPA
14203	Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization	Feb 18, 2025	Active OFAC sanctions program	IVF access expansion directive
14206	Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias	Feb 6, 2025	Enacted	DOJ investigation of anti-Christian discrimination
14211	One Voice for America's Foreign Relations	Feb 12, 2025	Enacted	Directed State Dept to control all foreign policy communications
14220	Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders	Feb 19, 2025	Enacted	Ended federal contracts with NGOs serving migrants
14222	Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Cost Efficiency Initiative	Feb 26, 2025	Enacted	DOGE cost-cutting — contracts, grants, loans, travel
14242	Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities	Mar 20, 2025	Enacted	Education deregulation; school choice; eliminate Dept of Ed direction
14247	Modernizing Payments To and From America's Bank Account	Mar 25, 2025	Enacted	Eliminated paper checks for federal payments — all electronic by Sept 2025
14252	Achieving Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness	Mar 25, 2025	Enacted	FEMA reform — shifting disaster response to states
14261	Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens	Apr 28, 2025	Enacted	Criminal alien removal prioritization
14262	Strengthening and Unleashing America's Law Enforcement	Apr 28, 2025	Enacted	Expanded law enforcement powers; qualified immunity support
14298	Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing	May 12, 2025	Litigation Ongoing	Drug pricing — tie US prices to lowest international price
14291	Establishment of the Religious Liberty Commission	May 1, 2025	Enacted	White House religious liberty commission
14292	Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media	May 1, 2025	Litigation Pending	NPR/PBS defunding directive

The structural legal questions running across both terms — not just whether a policy was blocked, but what the underlying constitutional fight is actually about and what it means for how power works.

Separation of Powers

Impoundment / Spending Power

Can the president refuse to spend funds that Congress has appropriated and the law requires be spent?

Likely Unconstitutional

Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution gives Congress exclusive control over federal spending. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was passed after President Nixon refused to spend congressionally appropriated funds for programs he opposed, explicitly prohibiting the practice. The current administration — led by OMB Director Russ Vought — holds that the ICA is itself unconstitutional as an infringement on Article II executive authority to administer federal programs. No federal court has accepted this argument. The Supreme Court in Clinton v. City of New York | 1998 struck down the Line Item Veto Act, which had actually granted the president statutory impoundment authority, finding it violated the constitutional framework. If the administration's position were accepted, it would effectively give the president a unilateral veto over any congressional spending it disagreed with.

Unilateral Agency Dismantlement

Can the president unilaterally dismantle or defund agencies created by Congress without legislation?

Courts Finding Violations

Congress creates agencies via statute. Only Congress can eliminate them through legislation. The president can direct priorities within an agency but cannot functionally eliminate a statutorily created agency through executive action alone. USAID | created by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and others have been targeted. Courts have found aspects of USAID's wind-down unlawful. The practical problem: by the time courts issue rulings, the damage — mass terminations, canceled contracts, disrupted programs — may be irreversible even if the action was illegal.

Presidential Removal Power / Independent Agencies

Does the president have absolute power to fire officials at independent regulatory agencies, overriding statutory removal protections Congress has enacted?

SCOTUS Likely to Revisit Humphrey's Executor

Humphrey's Executor v. United States | 1935 held that Congress may constitutionally protect members of independent multi-member regulatory agencies from removal except for cause. The precedent has governed the structure of independent agencies for nearly 90 years. The Term Two administration's firings of FTC, NLRB, and MSPB members directly challenged it. If the Supreme Court overrules Humphrey's Executor, it would eliminate the legal independence of the FTC, FCC, FDIC, SEC, Federal Reserve Board, NLRB, FEC, and every other independent commission. The most significant structural change to the administrative state since the New Deal.

Emergency Powers / IEEPA Tariffs

Does the International Emergency Economic Powers Act grant the president unlimited tariff authority whenever a national emergency is declared?

Active Litigation

IEEPA | 1977 authorizes the president to regulate international financial transactions during national emergencies. It was enacted to govern targeted sanctions and has never previously been used to impose broad tariffs. The administration's position: trade deficits constitute a national emergency triggering unlimited tariff authority. The Court of International Trade found serious non-delegation concerns. The major questions doctrine | West Virginia v. EPA, 2022 requires explicit congressional authorization for executive actions of major economic significance. The non-delegation doctrine holds Congress cannot grant unlimited legislative power without an intelligible principle constraining its use.

Due Process & Individual Rights

Habeas Corpus and Deportation Without Due Process

Can the executive branch deport individuals without immigration hearings, or defy court orders to return deportees?

Courts Finding Violations

The Fifth Amendment's due process clause protects all "persons" — not just citizens — from deprivation of liberty without due process. This applies to anyone within US jurisdiction regardless of immigration status. Multiple Term Two deportations were executed so rapidly that courts couldn't intervene before individuals were removed. SCOTUS issued emergency stays. The Abrego Garcia case raised the sharpest confrontation: a unanimous SCOTUS order directing the administration to facilitate his return was met with deliberate evasion. Habeas corpus — the right to challenge unlawful detention — cannot be suspended except in cases of rebellion or invasion under Article I, Section 9. Whether the administration's invasion declaration could trigger that exception is contested.

14th Amendment Birthright Citizenship

Can a presidential executive order reinterpret a constitutional provision applied one way for 150+ years?

Blocked by Multiple Courts

No. United States v. Wong Kim Ark | 1898 definitively held that birthright citizenship applies to children of immigrants under the plain text of the 14th Amendment. An executive order cannot override constitutional text. The secondary question the administration pressed to SCOTUS: whether a single district judge can issue a nationwide injunction binding on the entire executive branch. The administration sought to limit injunctions to named plaintiffs only, which would allow enforcement against everyone else while litigation proceeded — a practical strategy to implement unconstitutional policies while courts sort out the law.

First Amendment

Retaliation Against Law Firms, Media, and Political Opponents

Can the government use federal contracts, security clearances, and agency access as tools to punish First Amendment-protected activity?

Multiple EOs Blocked

No — this is the unconstitutional conditions doctrine. The government cannot withhold a benefit | security clearances, federal contracts, building access to punish constitutionally protected activity | legal representation, speech, press. Courts have blocked law firm EOs on this basis. The practical chilling effect is severe regardless of legal outcome: firms and universities are capitulating to avoid retaliation even when courts would ultimately rule for them. This is the mechanism through which intimidation functions as policy even when specific actions are unconstitutional.

Presidential Immunity | Post-Term One New Doctrine

Trump v. United States | 2024

A new SCOTUS doctrine: absolute immunity for core presidential acts, presumptive immunity for all official acts, no immunity for purely private acts.

New Doctrine, 6-3

6-3 ruling written by Chief Justice Roberts; effectively ended the federal January 6 prosecution. The Court's framework distinguishes between "core" presidential powers | absolute immunity and other official acts | presumptive immunity, but provided no clear test for distinguishing between them. No prior president operated with any understanding that they possessed such immunity. Virtually any presidential action can be characterized as "official." The ruling also held that evidence of official acts cannot be introduced even to prove criminal intent for private acts — a significant evidentiary restriction. Justice Sotomayor dissented: "The President is now a king above the law." This doctrine is the foundational legal architecture for Term Two's most aggressive executive action claims.

Network standard: Inclusion documents a formal role, published policy contribution, organizational affiliation, litigation activity, or other sourced relationship. It does not establish hidden coordination or prove that one organization controls another. Exact funding figures require an identifiable filing or source.

Heritage Foundation

501(c)(3) think tank · Founded 1973 · Washington, DC · President: Kevin Roberts

Heritage organized Project 2025, a presidential-transition initiative that included the Mandate for Leadership, a personnel database, training, and policy work. Heritage has published editions of Mandate for Leadership for decades. This entry treats Heritage’s Project 2025 role as a documented institutional relationship; implementation of individual proposals is tracked separately. Official site/source

Policy blueprintPersonnel pipelineProject 2025 leadMandate for LeadershipKevin Roberts

Center for Renewing America

501(c)(4) · Founded 2021 · Led by Russ Vought · Washington, DC

Russ Vought's policy operation, founded immediately after Term One ended. Vought served as OMB Director in Term One and returned to the role in Term Two. CRA drafted the OMB chapter of Project 2025's Mandate for Leadership and provided administrative, staffing, and legal support for multiple P2025 organizations. CRA has been the primary vehicle for developing and promoting the impoundment doctrine and the theory that large swaths of the administrative state are unconstitutional. One journalist described Vought as "the real mastermind behind Trump's imperial presidency."

OMB policyImpoundment doctrineProject 2025Russ VoughtAdministrative state dismantlement

America First Policy Institute

501(c)(3) · Founded 2021 · Led by Brooke Rollins | now Term Two Agriculture Secretary · Washington, DC

Launched by former Trump administration officials as a parallel policy and personnel shop to Heritage. Donated more than $6.5 million to Project 2025-aligned organizations between 2020 and 2023, including over $4 million to Leonard Leo's Honest Elections Project. Stephen Miller was affiliated throughout. AFPI functioned as the administration-in-waiting during Biden years — housing policy development and personnel for Term Two. Runs America First Works, a 501(c)(4) political arm. Official site/source

Trump transition vehiclePersonnel sourcingStephen Miller affiliatedBrooke Rollins

America First Legal

501(c)(3) legal organization · Co-founded 2021 by Stephen Miller and Gene Hamilton

America First Legal is a conservative legal organization co-founded in 2021 by Stephen Miller and Gene Hamilton. It brings litigation and administrative complaints on immigration, election, education, DEI, and other policy issues. Its own materials continue to identify Miller as a co-founder; current litigation should be evaluated case by case. Official site/source

LitigationAnti-DEIStephen MillerProject 2025 advisoryReverse civil rights

Federalist Society

501(c)(3) legal membership organization · Founded 1982

The Federalist Society is a conservative and libertarian legal membership organization whose network has been influential in Republican judicial selection. Leonard Leo is a former executive and longtime figure in the organization’s history, but the Society itself says it does not take positions on legal or policy issues. This entry distinguishes the organization from separate political and philanthropic entities associated with Leo.

Judicial pipelineSCOTUS nomineesLeonard LeoDark money networkConservative legal movement

Conservative Partnership Institute

501(c)(3/4) · Led by Mark Meadows | T1 Chief of Staff · Washington, DC

Mark Meadows' post-Term One organization. Provided administrative, staffing, and legal support for at least seven Project 2025 organizations — including America First Legal, Center for Renewing America, American Cornerstone Institute, American Moment, American Accountability Foundation, Election Integrity Network, and Personnel Policy Operations. Key connective tissue between Term One alumni and Term Two infrastructure. Also linked to the post-2020 election denial network. Jim DeMint, Heritage's former president, is involved. Received over $3 million from Dunn-linked networks for legal defense of former Trump officials.

Administrative hubP2025 infrastructureMark MeadowsElection denialJan. 6 adjacent

Claremont Institute

501(c)(3) · Founded 1979 · Upland, CA · Senior Fellows include John Eastman, Michael Anton

The intellectual infrastructure for America First constitutionalism. Published John Eastman's memo arguing Vice President Pence could refuse to certify the 2020 electoral vote count — the legal theory underlying the January 6 pressure campaign. Source of the theoretical framework that the administrative state is unconstitutional and that the president has inherent authority to dismantle it. Michael Anton | "The Flight 93 Election," 2016 is a senior fellow. The Claremont Review of Books is its flagship intellectual publication. Project 2025 advisory council member.

Intellectual infrastructureJan. 6 memosDeconstruction theoryJohn EastmanMichael Anton

Alliance Defending Freedom

501(c)(3) legal advocacy organization · Founded 1994

Alliance Defending Freedom litigates religious-liberty, free-speech, abortion, and LGBTQ-related cases and has participated in major Supreme Court litigation. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated ADF an anti-LGBTQ hate group; ADF disputes that characterization. The tracker records both the organization’s litigation role and the existence of that dispute.

Religious liberty litigationAnti-LGBTQ casesSCOTUS litigationModel legislationChristian nationalist

Family Research Council

501(c)(3)/(c)(4) policy and advocacy organization · Founded 1983

Family Research Council is a Christian conservative policy organization active on abortion, LGBTQ policy, religious liberty, and family-policy issues. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated FRC an anti-LGBTQ hate group; FRC disputes that label. Its Project 2025 participation and policy advocacy are treated here as documented affiliations, not proof of control over administration policy.

Christian nationalist policyAnti-LGBTQAbortion policyProject 2025 advisoryTony Perkins

Turning Point USA

501(c)(3) · Founded 2012 · Led by Charlie Kirk · Scottsdale, AZ

Youth mobilization and media operation with a significant campus presence. Charlie Kirk has had direct access to Trump throughout Term One and Term Two and hosts a major talk radio and podcast presence. Runs Turning Point Action | 501(c)(4) as its political arm. Hosted Students for Trump through the 2024 election. Project 2025 advisory council member. Has been investigated for financial irregularities and foreign connections. Key node for mobilizing young conservative voters and spreading the MAGA media ecosystem.

Youth mobilizationMedia ecosystemCharlie KirkProject 2025 advisoryCampus organizing

Russ Vought

OMB Director — Term One & Term Two

Founded the Center for Renewing America immediately after Term One. Principal author of Project 2025's OMB chapter. RNC Platform Policy Director in 2024. A longtime and explicit advocate for presidential impoundment doctrine — the position that the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is unconstitutional — and for systematically dismantling the administrative state. Described by journalists covering Term Two as the operational architect of the administration's most aggressive executive power claims. Has argued that most of the modern administrative state lacks constitutional basis and that the president has inherent authority to defund and dismantle it.

Stephen Miller

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor

Miller served as a senior immigration-policy adviser in Trump’s first term, co-founded America First Legal in 2021, and returned to the White House in the second term as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor. This entry tracks his documented government and organizational roles; responsibility for individual policies is attributed only where supported by public records.

Leonard Leo

Former Federalist Society Co-Chair · Private judicial kingmaker

Curated the nominations of Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett as Federalist Society co-chair. Left in 2020 after receiving a $1.6 billion dark money transfer from electronics magnate Barre Seid through Marble Freedom Trust — the largest known dark money transfer in American history. Now operates a network of nonprofits including the 85 Fund, Honest Elections Project, and Donors Trust. Leo's network has been called the most powerful unelected influence in American law. All Term Two judicial nominees continue to be drawn from his pipeline. Leo also funds state-level judicial and election law campaigns.

Kevin Roberts

Heritage Foundation President

Oversaw Heritage's $22 million Project 2025 effort. Served on Trump's 2016 transition team. Said in July 2024: "We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be." Has described Heritage's role explicitly as institutionalizing Trumpism. Under Roberts, Heritage has transformed from a traditional policy shop into an active participant in personnel and political strategy for the Trump administration. Heritage's "Project 2026" list of priorities signals it intends to continue directing administration policy through Term Two.

Tom Homan

Term Two Border Czar

Served as ICE Acting Director under Term One, having joined the agency in 1984. A Project 2025 contributor affiliated with the America First Policy Institute. The operational architect of the mass deportation infrastructure deployed in Term Two, including use of military transportation and Guantanamo detention facilities for migrants, the Alien Enemies Act invocation against Venezuelan nationals, and large-scale enforcement operations in the interior of the country. Has publicly stated he has no intention of complying with court orders he views as obstructing enforcement operations — a statement that itself raises rule of law concerns.

Elon Musk

Former senior DOGE adviser · CEO of SpaceX and Tesla

Musk was a major 2024 political donor and served as a prominent adviser associated with DOGE during 2025 before stepping back from the role. His companies are significant federal contractors. The tracker treats campaign spending, government-advisory work, and federal contracting as separate documented relationships rather than proof that any particular government decision benefited his companies.

Mark Meadows

Term One Chief of Staff

Founded the Conservative Partnership Institute after Term One. CPI provided administrative infrastructure for at least seven Project 2025 organizations — making it the connective tissue of the ecosystem. Indicted in Georgia's RICO election interference case alongside Trump and 17 others in August 2023; reportedly cooperated with federal investigators in the Special Counsel's investigation. A central figure in the planning and coordination surrounding January 6, 2021, including the effort to have states submit alternate electoral slates and the pressure campaign on Vice President Pence.

Brendan Carr

FCC Chairman — Term Two

Authored the FCC chapter of Project 2025's Mandate for Leadership, in which he outlined a strategy for using broadcast license review as a tool to pressure media organizations and for consolidating media ownership. As chairman, has pursued investigations into CBS, ABC, and other networks over their coverage, moved to roll back ownership rules limiting local media consolidation, and targeted NPR and PBS. The FCC's traditional independence from direct presidential direction is directly implicated by his approach to using the agency as a media control mechanism.

John Eastman

Claremont Institute Senior Fellow · January 6 Legal Architect

Constitutional law professor and Claremont Institute senior fellow who authored the legal memoranda arguing that Vice President Pence could refuse to certify the 2020 electoral vote count and that states could submit alternate electoral slates. Was present at the Willard Hotel "war room" in the days before January 6. His California state bar license was revoked for ethical violations related to his post-election conduct. The Eastman memo is considered the foundational legal document of the January 6 attempt to overturn the election.

Pam Bondi

Former U.S. Attorney General · 2025–2026

Bondi served as the 87th Attorney General from 2025 to 2026. Her tenure included major changes in Justice Department priorities and management. This entry no longer describes her as the current attorney general; subsequent DOJ leadership and actions should be attributed to the officials in office at the relevant time.

Pete Hegseth

Secretary of War · formerly Secretary of Defense

Hegseth was sworn in as Secretary of Defense in January 2025 and remained head of the department after it was renamed the Department of War in September 2025. This entry focuses on his official role and publicly issued departmental policy; allegations raised during his confirmation are not treated as adjudicated facts.

Dark Money / Major Transfers

Campaign Finance / Political Spending

Federal Contractor Conflicts | Term Two

Tax Policy / Direct Financial Benefit

Emoluments — Term One | Unresolved

Term Two Financial Conflicts

Financial-record standard: This section now includes only figures with a clear public source identified in this audit. Prior working leads were removed from the public-facing ledger until they can be tied to filings, contracts, audited financial statements, or other reliable records. A financial relationship does not by itself establish improper influence.

Verified / source-linked financial records

Barre Seid → Marble Freedom Trust
In 2021, Barre Seid transferred ownership of Tripp Lite to Marble Freedom Trust before the company’s sale. Reporting based on transaction and tax records valued the gift at approximately $1.6 billion.

$1.6B

ProPublica / The Lever

Elon Musk → pro-Trump / Republican political spending, 2024
FEC-based reporting found Musk gave at least $259 million to groups supporting Trump’s 2024 campaign; other analyses that include additional Republican spending put the total at about $277 million.

$259M+

Reuters / FEC filings

Federal impoundment / rescission disputes
Rather than assign a single dollar figure to all delayed federal funding, this archive now points readers to GAO’s program-by-program Impoundment Control Act decisions and presidential rescission-message reviews.

Program-specific

U.S. GAO

Source queue

Additional money-flow leads — including nonprofit grants, federal contracts, tax-policy effects, property payments, and political spending — remain in the research queue but are intentionally not displayed as verified figures until each can be tied to a source trail.

Court cases involving Trump, his administration, and policies across both terms. Organized by subject. Each entry includes the legal question, procedural history, and outcome or current status. 226+ active cases as of April 2026 per Lawfare's litigation tracker.

Immigration — Term One

Washington v. Trump | 9th Circuit | 2017

First challenge to the travel ban | EO 13769

Administration Lost

Legal Question

Whether EO 13769 — the first travel ban — violated the Establishment Clause by targeting Muslims and exceeded the president's statutory authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Procedural History

W.D. Washington | Feb 3, 2017 Judge James Robart issued a nationwide temporary restraining order blocking the entire executive order within days of its signing. The administration was ordered to immediately stop enforcement globally.

9th Circuit | Feb 9, 2017 A three-judge panel unanimously denied the government's emergency motion to stay Judge Robart's TRO. The court found the government had not shown likelihood of success on the merits and that the states had standing to sue. The court cited due process violations and failure to show the ban was necessary for national security.

Outcome The administration withdrew EO 13769 and issued a revised travel ban | EO 13780 | rather than appealing. The 9th Circuit's ruling established that the states had standing to challenge the travel ban and that courts could review the president's national security immigration decisions.

Hawaii v. Trump | D. Hawaii / 9th Circuit / SCOTUS | 2017–2018

Second and third travel bans | EO 13780 and Proclamation 9645

Mixed — Third Version Upheld by SCOTUS

Legal Question

Whether successive travel ban executive orders violated the Establishment Clause by targeting Muslims based on religious animus and exceeded the president's authority under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(f).

Procedural History

D. Hawaii | Mar 15, 2017 Judge Derrick Watson issued a TRO blocking EO 13780, finding the order was motivated by religious animus based on Trump's own campaign statements. A similar order was issued by Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland.

4th Circuit | May 25, 2017 The full 4th Circuit en banc upheld the Maryland injunction 10-3, finding the order violated the Establishment Clause. Applied "endorsement test" — the order sent a message that Muslims are outsiders.

9th Circuit | Jun 12, 2017 Upheld the Hawaii injunction on INA statutory grounds, finding the order violated § 1152(a)(1)(A)'s prohibition on discrimination by nationality in immigrant visas.

SCOTUS | Jun 26, 2017 Partially stayed the injunctions — allowed the ban to apply to persons with no "bona fide relationship" to a US person or entity, while blocking it as to those who do. Granted certiorari for the fall term.

D. Hawaii | Oct 17, 2017 Blocked the third version | Proclamation 9645 | finding it "suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor."

SCOTUS | Trump v. Hawaii | Jun 26, 2018 Upheld Proclamation 9645 5-4. Roberts wrote that the president had broad § 1182(f) authority and that the record of religious animus did not render a facially neutral proclamation invalid. Applied rational basis review and upheld the ban as furthering a legitimate government interest. Roberts also formally repudiated Korematsu v. United States as gravely wrong. Sotomayor's dissent: "the majority here deploys the same dangerous logic underlying Korematsu."

DHS v. Regents of the University of California | SCOTUS | 2020

DACA rescission challenge | consolidated with Trump v. NAACP and Wolf v. Vidal

Administration Lost 5-4

Legal Question

Whether the Trump administration's rescission of DACA was reviewable under the APA, and if so, whether the rescission was arbitrary and capricious.

Procedural History

DHS | Sep 5, 2017 Acting Secretary Elaine Duke announced DACA rescission based on AG Sessions' one-sentence conclusion that DACA was illegal, citing a Fifth Circuit ruling against DAPA | a related program.

N.D. Cal. | Jan 9, 2018 Judge William Alsup issued a nationwide injunction ordering the administration to continue accepting DACA renewals. Found the rescission was arbitrary and capricious.

E.D.N.Y. | Feb 13, 2018 Judge Nicholas Garaufis also blocked the rescission in Batalla Vidal v. Nielsen.

D.D.C. | Aug 3, 2018 Judge John Bates blocked the rescission in NAACP v. Trump, finding it arbitrary and capricious and ordering full DACA reinstatement including new applications.

9th Circuit | Nov 8, 2018 Upheld the California injunction, finding the rescission likely violated equal protection and the APA.

SCOTUS | Jun 18, 2020 Blocked rescission 5-4. Roberts wrote for the majority — joined by Ginsburg, Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor — holding: | 1 | the rescission was judicially reviewable; | 2 | Acting Secretary Duke failed to consider the reliance interests of 700,000 DACA recipients and failed to distinguish deportation protection from work authorization benefits. The Court did not rule on whether DACA itself was lawful. Remanded to DHS.

City and County of San Francisco v. Trump | N.D. Cal. / 9th Circuit | 2017–2018

Sanctuary cities defunding challenge | EO 13768

Administration Lost

Legal Question

Whether EO 13768 — directing withholding of federal grants from sanctuary jurisdictions — exceeded the president's constitutional authority, violating the separation of powers and the 10th Amendment.

Procedural History

N.D. Cal. | Apr 25, 2017 Judge William Orrick issued a nationwide preliminary injunction. Found the order was written so broadly to "reach all federal grants" and that the president has no constitutional authority to attach new conditions to congressionally appropriated spending. Only Congress can do this.

N.D. Cal. | Nov 20, 2017 Judge Orrick issued a permanent nationwide injunction, declaring section 9(a) of EO 13768 "unconstitutional on its face" for violating the separation of powers doctrine and the 5th and 10th Amendments.

9th Circuit | Aug 1, 2018 Affirmed the permanent injunction. SCOTUS declined to take up the case. The sweeping defunding mechanism was permanently blocked. A narrower version of DOJ grant conditions was upheld in separate litigation.

Immigration — Term Two

Trump v. Barbara | SCOTUS | 2025–2026

Birthright citizenship challenge | EO 14160

Pending — SCOTUS Argument April 2025

Legal Question

Whether EO 14160 ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented or temporary immigrants is consistent with the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment and federal law codifying it. Secondary question: whether a single district court judge can issue a nationwide injunction binding on the entire executive branch.

Procedural History

D. Mass. | Feb 13, 2025 Judge Leo Sorokin | Reagan appointee | called the order "blatantly unconstitutional" and issued a nationwide preliminary injunction. Found the 14th Amendment's plain text and 127 years of precedent from United States v. Wong Kim Ark | 1898 | compelled blocking the order.

W.D. Wash. / D. N.H. / D. Md. Three other federal judges separately blocked the order. The administration appealed in multiple circuits simultaneously.

1st Circuit | Apr 2025 Affirmed the Massachusetts injunction. Administration sought emergency SCOTUS review.

SCOTUS | Sep 2025 Agreed to hear the case. Accepted primarily on the nationwide injunction question, not yet resolving the merits. After injunction ruling narrowed some nationwide blocks, lower courts issued new nationwide injunctions in suits by states and class plaintiffs.

SCOTUS | Oral Argument | Apr 1, 2026 Trump attended argument — first sitting president to do so. Solicitor General Sauer argued for the government; ACLU's Cecillia Wang argued for affected families. Justices' questions suggested skepticism of the merits claim on citizenship but interest in the nationwide injunction question. Decision expected by June 2026.

Trump v. J.G.G. | SCOTUS | 2025

Alien Enemies Act / Venezuelan deportations | emergency docket

SCOTUS Partially Blocked Administration

Legal Question

Whether the president's invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act against Venezuelan nationals alleged to be Tren de Aragua gang members was lawful, and whether individuals facing removal under the AEA have due process rights to challenge their designation before removal.

Procedural History

D.D.C. | Mar 2025 Judge James Boasberg issued an emergency TRO halting deportation flights after learning flights were already in the air. The administration defied the order, completing the flights to El Salvador's CECOT prison.

D.C. Circuit | Mar 2025 Upheld the TRO. Administration sought emergency SCOTUS review, arguing courts had no jurisdiction to review AEA invocations.

SCOTUS | Apr 7, 2025 5-4 ruling | per curiam | held that AEA detainees must receive advance notice and opportunity to challenge their removal through habeas corpus in the district where they are detained — but that challenges must be brought in Texas | where detainees were held | not DC. Allowed some deportations to proceed while establishing the notice requirement. Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh dissented, arguing the Court lacked jurisdiction.

Ongoing Administration continued removals, arguing it had satisfied the notice requirement. Multiple habeas petitions filed in Texas. Administration argued courts in Texas had no jurisdiction. Litigation ongoing.

Primary source Trump v. J.G.G. (Apr. 7, 2025).

Noem v. Abrego Garcia | SCOTUS | 2025

Wrongful deportation — defiance of court order

Unanimous SCOTUS Order — Administration Defied

Legal Question

Whether the administration was required to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — a Salvadoran man with a standing withholding-of-removal order — after wrongfully deporting him to El Salvador's CECOT prison, and what the limits of executive defiance of judicial orders are.

Procedural History

Background Abrego Garcia had a 2019 withholding-of-removal order protecting him from deportation to El Salvador due to documented gang persecution. In March 2025, ICE deported him anyway — the administration later claimed it was an "administrative error."

D. Md. | Apr 4, 2025 Judge Paula Xinis ordered the administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return by April 7. The administration refused, claiming it could not compel El Salvador.

SCOTUS | Apr 10, 2025 In an unsigned unanimous per curiam order, SCOTUS directed the administration to "facilitate" Abrego Garcia's return "as soon as possible." The Court stated the district court could not order the executive to take specific diplomatic actions, but that "facilitate" was within the administration's authority and obligation.

D. Md. — Ongoing The administration continued to resist, interpreting "facilitate" as merely not blocking El Salvador's decision — rather than taking affirmative steps. Judge Xinis found the administration in contempt. The case became the central test of what happens when the executive branch refuses to comply with a unanimous Supreme Court order. Abrego Garcia remained in CECOT as of April 2026.

Primary source Noem v. Abrego Garcia (Apr. 10, 2025).

Executive Power / Administrative State

Trump v. Slaughter | Trump v. Cook | SCOTUS | 2025–2026

FTC commissioner and Federal Reserve governor firing — Humphrey's Executor challenge

Both decided June 29, 2026 — different outcomes

Trump v. Slaughter — FTC

Holding The Supreme Court held that the FTC’s statutory for-cause removal protection was unconstitutional as applied to an officer exercising executive power, substantially limiting Humphrey’s Executor.

Primary source Trump v. Slaughter (June 29, 2026).

Trump v. Cook — Federal Reserve

Holding The Court denied the President’s stay application and allowed Governor Lisa Cook to remain in office. The Court treated Federal Reserve tenure protections as presenting a distinct historical and statutory question and held that Cook was entitled to process before removal for cause.

Primary source Trump v. Cook (June 29, 2026).

AFGE v. Trump | Multiple Districts | 2025

Mass federal worker firings — Schedule F and RIF challenges

Partially Blocked; Ongoing

Legal Question

Whether the mass termination of probationary federal employees and the reinstatement of Schedule F violated the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and exceeded the president's constitutional removal authority.

Procedural History

N.D. Cal. | Feb 2025 Judge William Alsup ordered reinstatement of thousands of probationary federal workers who were terminated, finding the terminations violated federal law — agencies must follow specific RIF procedures and cannot disguise mass layoffs as individual performance terminations.

D. Md. | Feb 2025 Judge James Bredar also blocked aspects of the terminations.

SCOTUS — Shadow Docket | 2025 Allowed some mass firings to proceed while litigation continued, issuing a stay of the reinstatement orders. Did not resolve the underlying legal question.

Ongoing Multiple parallel cases in different circuits challenging different aspects of the workforce reduction program — Schedule F constitutionality, probationary employee procedural rights, and DOGE's authority to direct agency personnel actions. Hundreds of thousands of workers in legal limbo.

CREW v. Trump | 2nd Circuit | 2017–2021

Foreign Emoluments Clause challenge — hospitality industry competitors

Vacated as Moot — No Merits Ruling

Legal Question

Whether Trump's receipt of payments from foreign governments through his hotels and businesses violated the Foreign Emoluments Clause | Article I, Section 9 | which prohibits federal officials from accepting gifts or payments from foreign states without congressional consent.

Procedural History

S.D.N.Y. | 2017 CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington | filed suit on behalf of hospitality industry competitors who lost business to Trump hotels from foreign government customers. Trump moved to dismiss for lack of standing.

2nd Circuit | 2020 Reversed the district court's dismissal, finding competitors had standing to sue because foreign government payments to Trump's businesses injured their competing businesses.

SCOTUS | Jan 25, 2021 Vacated the 2nd Circuit ruling and ordered dismissal as moot — Trump was no longer in office. Used the Munsingwear procedure, which wiped out the 2nd Circuit's standing ruling without any ruling on the merits. No court ever ruled on whether Trump violated the Emoluments Clause. The Brennan Center called this "the Supreme Court running out the clock."

Maryland and DC v. Trump | 4th Circuit | 2017–2021

Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clause — Maryland and DC as plaintiffs

Vacated as Moot — No Merits Ruling

Legal Question

Whether Trump violated both Emoluments Clauses through his retention of the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC — which received payments from foreign dignitaries and domestic officials — and whether Maryland and DC had standing to sue.

Procedural History

D. Md. | 2017 Maryland AG Brian Frosh and DC AG Karl Racine filed suit. District court allowed the case to go forward; Trump appealed seeking immediate review.

4th Circuit | Jul 2019 Full 4th Circuit en banc ruled 8-6 that Maryland and DC had standing to pursue the case. Case remanded for discovery into Trump's finances — the administration had been attempting to avoid any financial disclosure.

SCOTUS | Jan 25, 2021 Same day as CREW — vacated and remanded with instructions to dismiss as moot. Again used Munsingwear procedure. No court ever reached the merits. Saudi Arabia alone paid approximately $270,000+ in hotel bills for lobbyists in 2017. The constitutional questions remain unresolved and no financial audit of the Trump Organization was ever conducted.

Trade / Tariffs

Learning Resources v. Trump | Court of International Trade / Federal Circuit / SCOTUS | 2025–2026

IEEPA tariff authority challenge | Liberation Day tariffs

Administration Lost — SCOTUS Ruled IEEPA Does Not Authorize Tariffs

Legal Question

Whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act authorizes the president to impose tariffs, and whether trade deficits constitute a "national emergency" sufficient to trigger IEEPA.

Procedural History

D.D.C. | Apr 2025 Learning Resources and hand2mind — educational toy companies with China-manufactured products — filed suit arguing IEEPA does not authorize tariffs. District court agreed and issued a preliminary injunction in May 2025.

Court of International Trade | May 2025 CIT issued a similar ruling in a separate case brought by five businesses, holding IEEPA did not authorize tariff authority. Did not issue an injunction.

Federal Circuit | Aug 2025 Rejected Trump's appeal of the CIT ruling. Court held that IEEPA's text — authorizing regulation of "transactions" in international commerce — did not encompass tariffs, which are a form of tax.

SCOTUS | Argued Nov 5, 2025 SCOTUS took the case on an expedited basis given its major economic significance. Arguments revealed skepticism about the administration's broad reading of IEEPA.

SCOTUS | Decision Feb 20, 2026 In a majority opinion written by Chief Justice Roberts, SCOTUS held that IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs. The major questions doctrine required explicit congressional authorization for an action of this magnitude — and Congress had not provided it in IEEPA. The administration was required to halt tariffs imposed solely under IEEPA authority, though Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs were not affected.

Primary source Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, U.S. Supreme Court (Feb. 20, 2026).

Presidential Immunity / Criminal

Trump v. United States | SCOTUS | 2024

Presidential immunity from criminal prosecution — January 6 federal case

New Doctrine Established — Federal Prosecution Effectively Ended

Legal Question

Whether a former president enjoys immunity from federal criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to have occurred while in office, and if so, how broadly that immunity extends.

Procedural History

Special Counsel Indictment | Aug 1, 2023 Jack Smith indicted Trump on four counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election — conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy against rights, and seditious conspiracy-adjacent conduct.

D.D.C. | Dec 1, 2023 Judge Tanya Chutkan denied Trump's immunity claim, holding that former presidents have no immunity from federal criminal prosecution for official acts.

D.C. Circuit | Feb 6, 2024 Three-judge panel unanimously upheld Chutkan's ruling in a sweeping opinion, holding the Framers did not intend to grant immunity to former presidents for criminal conduct in office. "We cannot accept that the office of the Presidency places its former occupants above the law."

SCOTUS | Granted Cert | Feb 28, 2024 SCOTUS took the case, staying all proceedings in the trial court while it considered the immunity question — effectively delaying the trial past the 2024 election.

SCOTUS | Decision Jul 1, 2024 6-3 decision written by Roberts. Established a three-part framework: | 1 | absolute immunity for official acts within the president's core constitutional powers; | 2 | presumptive immunity for all official acts — rebuttable only by showing prosecution would not intrude on the executive's authority; | 3 | no immunity for unofficial private acts. Remanded to Judge Chutkan to apply the new framework — a process expected to take many months. Sotomayor dissented: "The President is now a king above the law." Jackson dissented separately: "The majority has lost sight of the forest for the trees."

D.D.C. | 2024–2025 Judge Chutkan began applying the immunity framework. DOJ under Jack Smith filed a brief identifying which alleged conduct was official vs. unofficial. Before the framework analysis was complete, Trump won the 2024 election.

DOJ | Jan 2025 Incoming Trump DOJ moved to dismiss all charges. Judge Chutkan granted the motion in January 2025. The federal January 6 prosecution was over. Jack Smith filed a report documenting the evidence he had gathered, concluding Trump would have been convicted had the prosecution proceeded.

United States v. Trump | S.D. Fla. | 2023–2024

Classified documents case — Mar-a-Lago

Dismissed by Judge Cannon

Legal Question

Whether Trump's retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office constituted unlawful retention of national defense information and obstruction of the government's attempts to recover them.

Procedural History

Background The National Archives discovered missing classified documents; Trump returned some but retained others. An FBI search of Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022 recovered approximately 100 classified documents including materials marked Top Secret/SCI — among the most sensitive in the US government.

Special Counsel Indictment | Jun 9, 2023 Jack Smith indicted Trump and aide Walt Nauta on 37 counts, later expanded to 40, including willful retention of national defense information, obstruction, and false statements.

S.D. Fla. — Judge Aileen Cannon Judge Cannon | a Trump appointee | repeatedly sided with Trump's legal positions, dismissed Smith's appointment as special counsel as unlawful | a ruling legal scholars called outlier | and issued a series of procedurally unusual decisions that significantly slowed the case.

11th Circuit | Dec 2023 Reversed Cannon's ruling that Trump had a right to a special master review of the seized materials. Smith sought to remove Cannon from the case; 11th Circuit declined.

S.D. Fla. | Jul 15, 2024 Judge Cannon dismissed the entire case, holding Jack Smith's appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional because it was not authorized by statute. Legal scholars were largely critical of the ruling. Smith appealed to the 11th Circuit.

DOJ | Nov 2024 Following Trump's election victory, DOJ moved to dismiss the appeal and the underlying case under the policy against prosecuting a sitting president. Cannon granted the dismissal. The case ended without a trial.

People of the State of New York v. Trump | N.Y. Supreme Court | 2024

Falsifying business records — hush money / Stormy Daniels

Convicted on All 34 Counts — Sentenced to Unconditional Discharge

Legal Question

Whether Trump falsified business records to conceal hush money payments to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, and whether those falsifications constituted felonies because they were made to conceal another crime — violation of federal campaign finance law.

Procedural History

Manhattan DA Indictment | Mar 30, 2023 DA Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree — the first criminal indictment of a former US president in history.

Trial | Apr–May 2024 Trial began April 15, 2024. Key witnesses included Michael Cohen | former Trump fixer | and David Pecker | former National Enquirer publisher |. Cohen testified he made the payment to Daniels and was reimbursed through falsified legal expense records.

Verdict | May 30, 2024 Jury convicted Trump on all 34 counts after deliberating approximately 9.5 hours. Trump became the first former US president convicted of a felony. He was also the presumptive Republican nominee for president at the time of conviction.

Sentence | Jan 10, 2025 Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an unconditional discharge — no jail time, no probation, no fine — citing the "unprecedented" nature of sentencing a president-elect. Trump appealed the conviction. The case is on appeal.

State of Georgia v. Trump et al. | Fulton County Superior Court | 2023–ongoing

RICO election interference — Georgia 2020 election

Active — Multiple Defendants Pleaded; Trump Case Paused

Legal Question

Whether Trump and 18 co-defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election results, including through false electors, pressure on election officials, and unlawful access to election equipment in Coffee County.

Procedural History

DA Indictment | Aug 14, 2023 Fulton County DA Fani Willis indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants on 41 counts under Georgia's RICO statute. All 19 defendants were charged with participating in a criminal enterprise to overturn the election.

Co-Defendant Pleas | 2023–2024 Several co-defendants pleaded guilty. Sidney Powell pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate. Ken Chesebro pleaded guilty. Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty, saying she was "ashamed" of what she had done. Scott Hall pleaded guilty.

Disqualification Motion | 2024 Trump sought to disqualify DA Willis over a romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Superior Court judge found the relationship created an appearance of impropriety but allowed Willis to remain if Wade withdrew — Wade withdrew.

Georgia Court of Appeals | 2024 Accepted an interlocutory appeal on the disqualification question, pausing all trial proceedings.

Status Case effectively paused through Trump's election victory. His attorneys have argued presidential immunity bars state prosecution of official acts. Georgia courts will need to rule on whether the immunity doctrine extends to state criminal prosecution — a question the Supreme Court's immunity ruling did not directly address.

Civil Rights / Social Policy

Bostock v. Clayton County | SCOTUS | 2020

Title VII sex discrimination — gender identity and sexual orientation

Administration Position Rejected 6-3

Legal Question

Whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — which prohibits discrimination "because of sex" — extends to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Procedural History

Background Three consolidated cases: Gerald Bostock | fired for joining a gay softball league |, Donald Zarda | fired for being gay |, and Aimee Stephens | fired for being transgender |. The Trump administration filed briefs in SCOTUS arguing Title VII did not cover sexual orientation or gender identity.

SCOTUS | Jun 15, 2020 6-3 decision written by Justice Gorsuch | a Trump appointee | held that Title VII's prohibition on discrimination "because of sex" necessarily encompasses discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. "An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex." Roberts and the four liberal justices joined Gorsuch. Alito, Thomas, and Kavanaugh dissented.

Significance The ruling established federal employment protections for approximately 8.1 million LGBTQ+ workers. It also has implications for Title IX — the education discrimination statute with parallel "sex" language — which Term Two is actively contesting in multiple cases currently before SCOTUS.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization | SCOTUS | 2022

Abortion rights — overruling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey

Roe Overruled 6-3

Legal Question

Whether the Constitution protects a right to obtain an abortion, and whether Roe v. Wade | 1973 | and Planned Parenthood v. Casey | 1992 | should be overruled.

Procedural History

Background Mississippi enacted a law banning abortion after 15 weeks — directly in conflict with Casey's viability standard | approximately 22-24 weeks |. The challenge was brought by Jackson Women's Health Organization, Mississippi's only abortion clinic.

5th Circuit | Dec 2021 Struck down the Mississippi law under Casey's viability standard.

SCOTUS | May 2022 — Dobbs Leak A draft majority opinion written by Alito was leaked to Politico — the first major SCOTUS opinion leak in decades — revealing the Court intended to overturn Roe. The leak itself became a major controversy; a subsequent investigation failed to identify the leaker.

SCOTUS | Jun 24, 2022 6-3 ruling written by Alito overruled Roe and Casey, holding the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion and returning the question to the states. Roberts concurred in the judgment but would have upheld the Mississippi 15-week law without overruling Roe. Kavanaugh's concurrence stated the ruling did not prohibit Congress from legislating on abortion. Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan dissented in a jointly authored opinion.

Significance The ruling was made possible by Trump's three appointments creating the 6-3 supermajority. Within weeks, approximately half of US states moved to ban or severely restrict abortion. The ruling is the most significant change to American constitutional law since Brown v. Board of Education.

Environment / Administrative Law

West Virginia v. EPA | SCOTUS | 2022

Clean Power Plan — major questions doctrine

EPA Lost 6-3 — Major Questions Doctrine Established

Legal Question

Whether Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act authorized EPA to devise a cap-and-trade system requiring the power sector to shift generation from coal to natural gas and renewables — a system-wide approach rather than plant-specific controls.

Procedural History

Background Obama's Clean Power Plan used Section 111(d) to require power companies to either upgrade their coal plants or shift generation to cleaner sources. Trump's EPA replaced it with the Affordable Clean Energy rule, limiting EPA to plant-level controls. DC Circuit struck down the ACE rule in January 2021. SCOTUS then took up the underlying CPP question.

DC Circuit | Jan 19, 2021 Vacated the ACE rule. West Virginia and other states petitioned SCOTUS to address whether EPA could impose system-wide generation-shifting requirements under Section 111(d).

SCOTUS | Jun 30, 2022 6-3 decision written by Roberts. Held that Section 111(d) did not authorize EPA to mandate grid-wide energy transitions — this was a "major question" requiring clear congressional authorization, which the vague Section 111(d) text did not provide. Established the major questions doctrine as a constitutional canon: courts must not assume Congress authorized executive agencies to resolve major economic and political questions without clear statutory authorization. Kagan's dissent called it "a great power grab" by the judiciary.

Significance The major questions doctrine has since been applied to challenge numerous federal agency actions including the IEEPA tariffs | Learning Resources v. Trump |, CDC eviction moratoriums, OSHA vaccine mandates, and student loan forgiveness. It is the most significant administrative law ruling in decades.

Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo | SCOTUS | 2024

Overruling Chevron deference — administrative law

Chevron Overruled 6-3 — Courts Now Interpret Statutes De Novo

Legal Question

Whether Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council | 1984 | — which required courts to defer to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes — should be overruled.

Procedural History

Background New Jersey fishing companies challenged NMFS's requirement that they pay for federal monitors on their vessels. The underlying legal question was minor; the case was a vehicle to challenge Chevron deference — a 40-year-old precedent requiring courts to defer to agencies' reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes.

SCOTUS | Jun 28, 2024 6-3 decision written by Roberts overruled Chevron, holding that courts must exercise independent judgment in determining what the law means — they cannot defer to an agency's interpretation simply because the statute is ambiguous. This was the most significant administrative law ruling since Chevron itself, decided 40 years earlier. Kagan's dissent: "The Court has substituted its own judgment for that of expert agencies on thousands of regulatory questions that Congress intended agencies to answer."

Significance Overruling Chevron means every prior ruling that relied on Chevron deference is now potentially challengeable. Agencies that relied on Chevron to interpret their own authority must now defend their interpretations as the only correct reading of statutory text — not merely a reasonable one. Massively empowers federal courts relative to executive agencies. Enables far more aggressive challenges to regulations across healthcare, environment, finance, and labor.

Healthcare

California v. Texas | SCOTUS | 2021

ACA constitutionality — individual mandate zeroed out

ACA Upheld 7-2 — States Lacked Standing

Legal Question

Whether the ACA's individual mandate became unconstitutional after Congress set the tax penalty to zero in 2017, and if so, whether the rest of the ACA must fall with it.

Procedural History

N.D. Tex. | Dec 2018 Judge Reed O'Connor ruled the entire ACA unconstitutional after the individual mandate penalty was set to zero — holding the mandate was no longer a valid tax under NFIB v. Sebelius, and that the mandate was inseverable from the rest of the ACA.

5th Circuit | Dec 2019 Agreed the mandate was unconstitutional with a zero penalty but remanded on severability — whether the rest of the ACA could stand without it. The Trump administration filed a brief arguing the entire ACA should fall.

SCOTUS | Jun 17, 2021 7-2 ruling — Breyer wrote for the majority, joined by Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, Sotomayor, and Barrett — holding that Texas and other Republican states lacked standing to challenge the ACA because they could not show they suffered any concrete injury from the zero-dollar mandate. Did not rule on whether the mandate was constitutional. The ACA survived. Alito and Gorsuch dissented on standing, arguing the states did have standing and that the mandate was unconstitutional.

First Amendment

Perkins Coie v. Trump | D.D.C. | 2025

Law firm retaliation executive order — unconstitutional conditions

EO Blocked — Unconstitutional Retaliation

Legal Question

Whether an executive order revoking security clearances and federal contract eligibility for a law firm that represented clients adverse to Trump violated the First Amendment's protection of the right to legal counsel and the unconstitutional conditions doctrine.

Procedural History

Background EO signed March 6, 2025 targeted Perkins Coie — a prominent law firm that had represented Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, among other clients — threatening security clearance revocations, contract terminations, and building access bans.

D.D.C. | Mar 12, 2025 Judge Beryl Howell issued a TRO blocking the EO within days, calling it an attempt to use the coercive power of the federal government to retaliate against a law firm for its constitutionally protected legal representation. Found the government had no likelihood of success on the merits.

D.D.C. | Preliminary Injunction | Apr 2025 Issued a preliminary injunction blocking the EO in full. Found it violated the First Amendment and the unconstitutional conditions doctrine — the government cannot condition benefits on abandonment of constitutional rights. Also found it violated due process by denying Perkins Coie notice and opportunity to be heard before sanctions.

Significance Similar EOs targeting Paul Weiss and other firms were also blocked or rescinded after firms made pro bono commitments. The chilling effect on legal representation of Trump opponents was severe regardless of the legal outcomes — many firms declined to represent clients adverse to the administration out of fear of retaliation.

Harvard University v. Department of Education | D. Mass. | 2025

University funding freeze — First Amendment / Title VI

Funding Freeze Blocked

Legal Question

Whether the administration's freeze of $2+ billion in federal grants and contracts to Harvard — conditioning reinstatement on Harvard's adoption of specific ideological policies regarding DEI and its response to campus protests — violated the First Amendment, Title VI, and the APA.

Procedural History

Background The administration pressured Harvard to eliminate DEI programs, change admissions practices, cooperate with federal antisemitism investigations, and restructure its governance. When Harvard refused in April 2025, the administration froze $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts — the largest funding action against a single university in US history.

Harvard v. DOE | D. Mass. | Apr 2025 Harvard filed suit arguing the funding freeze was unconstitutional retaliation for protected speech and viewpoint, violated Title VI's procedural requirements for adverse funding actions, and was arbitrary and capricious under the APA.

D. Mass. | May 2025 Judge Allison Burroughs | a Harvard Law graduate | blocked the funding freeze, finding Harvard was likely to succeed on its First Amendment and Title VI claims. The court found the administration violated its own Title VI procedures — which require notice and opportunity to cure before funding termination — and that the freeze appeared designed to punish constitutionally protected academic and expressive activity.

Ongoing Case on appeal. Administration has continued parallel pressure including demanding student records and threatening international student visa programs. The case is the leading test of the administration's ability to use funding as a weapon to coerce private institutions into ideological compliance.

Methods: “Blocked,” “decided,” “in force,” and similar labels describe the current posture of a specific order, case, or implementation — not a blanket judgment about an entire administration. Network inclusion documents a public relationship, affiliation, contribution, or role and does not imply criminal conduct or hidden coordination. Financial figures are shown only where this audit retained a source trail.