Since taking office, President Donald Trump and his administration have become the target of multiple lawsuits over the president’s agenda and policies.
The Trump White House has faced numerous legal challenges, including deportation policies, an executive order to end birthright citizenship and a directive to freeze federal funding.
Birthright citizenship
On the day of his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, with many legal experts arguing that the right is enshrined in the Constitution under the 14th Amendment.
‘The privilege of United States citizenship is a priceless and profound gift,’ Trump says in the order, titled, ‘Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.’
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration that same day ‘on behalf of organizations with members whose babies born on U.S. soil will be denied citizenship under the order.’ The ACLU also claimed the order is unconstitutional and against congressional intent and Supreme Court precedent.
Eighteen Democrat-led states then launched their own lawsuit, also claiming the order is unconstitutional and ‘unprecedented.’
‘The President has no authority to rewrite or nullify a constitutional amendment or duly enacted statute. Nor is he empowered by any other source of law to limit who receives United States citizenship at birth,’ the lawsuit reads.
Attorneys general from New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine and others signed on to the suit, along with the city and county of San Francisco, Calif., and Washington, D.C.
A U.S. district judge also temporarily blocked Trump’s order in a separate lawsuit filed by the states of Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington, describing the action as ‘blatantly unconstitutional.’
Mass deportations
Several Chicago sanctuary city groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its mass deportation policy, saying it violates their First Amendment rights.
The suit, filed by Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Organized Communities Against Deportations, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Inc., and Raise the Floor Alliance, states that ‘the threat of ICE agents flooding into communities has already impacted Chicagoans and chilled their rights to freely exercise their religion and assemble.’
Ending DEI policies
Trump also signed an executive order ending all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. On Monday, the president signed an order stating that the ‘adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.’
Six transgender military members filed suit against the Trump administration, arguing that the order is unconstitutional and violates the Equal Protection component of the Fifth Amendment.
‘Rather than being based on any legitimate governmental purpose, the ban reflects animosity toward transgender people because of their transgender status,’ the suit claims.
Freezing federal aid funding
The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo on Monday with a directive to pause all federal grants and loans aiming to eradicate ‘wokeness’ and the ‘weaponization of government’ in an effort to improve government efficiency. The memo claims that nearly $3 trillion was spent in 2024 on such assistance programs.
The White House shortly thereafter insisted that the freeze did not affect programs such as Social Security, Medicare or other entitlement payments.
Alongside Senate Democrats announcing a coordinated response with Democratic governors, blue state attorneys general, along with advocacy and non-profit groups, filed their own suits over the directive.
On Tuesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 22 other attorneys general suing to stop the implementation of the memo.
Likewise, a handful of non-profit organizations and health associations, including a LGBTQ+ advocacy group, filed a lawsuit Tuesday over the directive.
A federal judge on Tuesday imposed a stay on Trump’s action, delaying it until Monday.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw, Breanne Deppisch and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
