The biggest challenge of President Donald Trump at home has comes from the Judicial Power of the country, not from the Democratic Opposition Party that remains without leaders and disorder.
The biggest coup for the commercial policy of the president of the United States was the ruling pronounced by a federal court last month that declared many tariffs that had imposed on countries around the world illegal. Although the administration obtained a temporary respite from an appeal court that stopped the ruling, the legal battle is far from finishing. The appeal process must be developed and even the case can go to the Supreme Court of the United States. The global financial markets welcomed the court order against tariffs, but leaves Trump’s commercial plan in balance.
Trump reacted furiously before the decision of the International Trade Court, describing him as “incorrect”, “politics” and the “hardest financial failure” in history. His officials went further, accusing the judges of “judicial overreach” and an abuse of power to “usurp the president’s authority.” In fact, it was Trump who exceeded his emergency powers to impose global tariffs, according to the Trade Court. Trump had invoked the International Law on Emergency Economic Powers to impose tariffs on April 2.
Due to the adverse market reaction to that decision, it was back and forth in rates, stopping them, going down some and then raising others. This scared investors and sowed confusion among the United States business partners. Trump changed the course when the markets collapsed and there was a lot of liquidation in the US bonds. After the markets, it was the turn of the courts to try to restrict Trump. As the Financial Times wrote in a recent publishing house, the United States courts are playing a healthy role in “trying to control what Trump considers his unlimited powers as president.”
Legal problems have thrown a shadow on Trump’s commercial agenda. They can affect the ongoing commercial conversations with many countries, which could see their negotiation hand strengthened by the challenges that Trump’s policies face from the courts. The crucial negotiations are coming with the two key commercial partners of the United States, China and the EU. They can be affected by legal problems at home, although Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping have recently had a positive telephone conversation about commercial problems.
The United States courts are trying to contain Trump’s unbridled use of the Executive Power.
While the tariff ruling is possibly the greatest judicial shaking for Trump’s plans, he has also found legal setbacks on other fronts. According to an estimate, there have been judicial orders against 182 of Trump’s executive actions. Some precautionary measures have been temporary, but have still acted as control over Trump’s capricious behavior. The petitioners have mainly included state governments, cities, unions, civil liberties and non -profit organizations. In the case of the rate, it was a group of states led by Oregon who demanded the administration for its use of emergency powers without Congress actions.
The cases against the Administration have involved Trump’s immigration and deportation policies, their reduction in the federal government that involved radical layoffs of the workforce, frozen in foreign aid, dismantling of US agencies, citizenship rights of law at birth and assaults to universities and law firms.
Among Trump’s most controversial actions to be legally challenged are drastic cuts in the size of the federal government through the large -scale dismissal of public officials, ceasing the financing and closing of the agencies. The task of executing this plan was given to Trump’s billionaire friend (now separated), Elon Musk, through his so -called Government Efficiency Department (Doge), which saw more than three dozen cases challenging his authority and even more demands that challenge the cuts of funds and the dismissal of the workers. Tens of thousands of federal employees were fired while Miles were placed on a forced license or left their work under renunciation programs.
A ruling from the California court ordered to stop the reduction of personnel, questioning the legality of the measure. Subsequently, in another coup for Trump, an appeals court confirmed that decision, forcing the administration to keep the pause in more cuts and shots. The Government’s Musk exit throws Doge’s future to uncertainty, although Trump has promised that his work will continue.
Ivy League universities have also been growing due to Trump’s efforts to control these institutions and suppress dissent. The battle of the administration with Harvard University has seen retained funds and tries to change its governance structure and prohibit their ability to organize foreign students. Harvard resisted and affirmed his rights against government intimidation by signing the federal government. His efforts were successful when a federal judge blocked the order that revoked his right to register foreign students. Trump then suspended the visas for six months for foreign students registered to study in Harvard. But this effort to avoid the court ruling will only intensify the legal battle.
The courts have issued important decisions and have provided temporary relief in some cases to foreign students whose visas were canceled or threatened due to their pro-palestinian sympathies. The way in which foreign students have been arrested, some of the streets, handcuffed and sent to detention centers, with their visas abruptly revoked, caused a protest in the academic community of the United States. A District Judge of California has now banned the administration to end the legal status of international students throughout the country. The ruling prevents the authorities from arresting, entrusting or moving students to other places based on their legal status until their case is resolved.
Trump’s response to the judicial opposition to his policies has been predictably hard. He and his officials have vilified the judges and have submitted some public criticisms. Of course, in some cases notable and consequently, the courts have also ruled in their favor. But the administration is wrapped in dozens of demands and it is not clear if Trump will meet the judicial orders or try to avoid them. He has already challenged judicial decisions, especially in immigration matters, including an order of the Supreme Court in a deportation case. It is difficult to predict how the growing clash develops between the Executive and the Judiciary, but for now the United States courts are defending Trump’s arbitrary actions, hitting them in key cases and acting as a control over the unbridled use of the Executive Power.
The writer is a former ambassador to the United States, the United Kingdom and the UN.
Posted in Dawn, June 7, 2025
