Court cases related to Donald Trump's second presidential term

Donald Trump began his second presidential term in office on January 20, 2025 and released his first press statement, "President Trump's America First Priorities", about his goals for his term later that day. ^[1]

Trump began signing executive orders after his swearing in, intended to enact specific actions regarding his stated priorities. The executive orders have addressed portions of the federal government and beyond, ^[2] and have sparked a flurry of court cases in response. ^[3] As of February 20, over 75 lawsuits had been filed. ^[4]

Many cases have been in response to Executive Order 14158, establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). ^{[5] [6]} In signing this executive order, Trump named billionaire and tech CEO, Elon Musk, as the head of DOGE. Musk began federal cost-cutting measures, including layoffs, shutting down departments and agencies, ending aid, and removing programs, such as DEI initiatives. ^[7]

The Trump team has claimed that they have wide powers to bypass Congressional oversight, ^[8] while many others believe these actions to be unconstitutional. ^[9] As Musk has gained power over the federal sector, there are have been mass layoffs and retirement requests from across departments.^{[ citation needed ]}

One incident that has spurred lawsuits and protest was a memo emailed to federal workers, titled "Fork in the Road". This memo was in reference to a US federal deferred resignation program that was being mandated by the Musk team.^{[ citation needed ]}

Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

Long title	Executive Order 14160: Revoking Birthright Citizenship for Children of Undocumented Immigrants
Legislative history
Signed into law by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025

President Donald Trump signing executive orders

Cases raised in response to Trump's executive orders

New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support v. Donald J. Trump (D.N.H.) Case No. 1:25-cv-38

On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14160 which sought to revoke birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. The executive order argues that the children of undocumented immigrants are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the US. On the same day, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Trump Administration, citing the 14th Amendment and U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) as affirming birthright citizenship, on behalf of New Hampshire Indonesian Community, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and Make the Road Work. ^{[10] [11]}

On February 10, 2025, Judge Joseph N. Laplante of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire issued a preliminary injunction. ^[12]

O. Doe; Brazilian Worker Center, Inc; La Colaborativa v. Donald J. Trump et al (D. Mass.) Case No. 1:25-cv-10135-LTS

In Massachusetts, a plaintiff, going by "O. Doe", along with a group of pregnant women whose children would not receive citizenship, if birthright citizenship were to be rescinded due to Executive Order 14160, sued ^[13] Donald J. Trump et al., ^[14] citing the 14th Amendment and U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark (1898).

On February 13, 2025 Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the District Court of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction ^[15] blocking enforcement of the Executive Order.

J. Doe 1-26 v. Elon Musk (D. Md)

Donald Trump with the signing of Executive Order 14158 established (or renamed) the Department of Government Efficiency and put Elon Musk in charge. A lawsuit by 26 USAID employees and contractors claims Elon Musk’s role as DOGE head violates the Appointments Clause, alleging he wields significant government authority without Senate confirmation.

References

1. "President Trump's America First Priorities". The White House. 2025-01-20. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
2. Staff, N. P. R. (2025-01-28). "All the executive orders Trump has signed after 1 week in office". NPR. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
3. Trump Litigation Tracker, justsecurity.org
4. Jouvenal, Justin; Marimow, Ann E. "Tracking Trump's wins and losses in court cases over his executive orders". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
5. "Establishing And Implementing The President's "Department Of Government Efficiency"". The White House. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
6. "Establishing and Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency"". Federal Register. 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
7. "New details on Musk's DOGE agency raise questions about its scope, transparency". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
8. "President Trump is testing the limits of emergency powers — again". NPR. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
9. "14 states file a lawsuit arguing Elon Musk's authority at DOGE is unconstitutional". NBC News. 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
10. New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support v. Trump Court Docket
11. New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support v. Trump Court Claim
12. NEW HAMPSHIRE INDONESIAN COMMUNITY SUPPORT v. TRUMP Injunction
13. Doe V. Trump Claim
14. "Doe v. Trump, 1:25-cv-10135 - CourtListener.com". CourtListener. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
15. "Preliminary Injunction – #47 in Doe v. Trump (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10135) – CourtListener.com". CourtListener. Retrieved 2025-02-15.