Seven Federal Judge Rulings Against Trump Administration This Week Signal Increasing Judicial Pushback

Federal judges across the United States continued their string of judicial interventions against the Trump administration this week, issuing a series of sweeping orders that have put a halt to key executive actions on immigration, funding, and social programs. Several of these decisions involve families and individuals at the center of legal and political controversy, as well as significant federal initiatives affecting millions.

In Colorado, a judge appointed under the current administration blocked the deportation of the wife and five children of Mohamed Soliman, an Egyptian national facing federal charges related to a recent firebombing incident. With a temporary restraining order now in place, federal authorities are prevented from removing Hayem El Gamal and her children pending a hearing scheduled for June 13. The family—who has overstayed their visas—has submitted an asylum application, further complicating any immediate removal attempts. The court’s intervention followed urgent pleas from family friends who argued that deportation would deny them proper due process.

Another major setback for the Trump administration unfolded as a federal judge agreed to unseal records in the deportation case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadorian migrant and alleged MS-13 member who was mistakenly removed from Maryland earlier this year. The ruling opens the door to potential sanctions against administration officials, should the court find they acted in bad faith or in defiance of prior orders. The Supreme Court has already instructed the administration to "facilitate" Abrego Garcia's return to the United States, ratcheting up the legal and political stakes.

Tuesday brought more legal hurdles for the White House, when a Washington state judge issued a preliminary injunction against withholding federal transportation funds from Denver and other local governments. Plaintiffs had argued that threatening to pull an estimated $4 billion in grants over policy disputes exceeded presidential authority and violated the Separation of Powers doctrine. The judge concurred, finding that the administration’s actions posed real harm to local communities struggling to fund vital transportation services.

In a separate ruling, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman ordered the restoration of millions of dollars in AmeriCorps grants and the reinstatement of thousands of employees who were laid off following abrupt budget cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency. Boardman called the cuts unlawful and required the Trump administration to restore congressionally approved funding and rehire affected staff across 24 states and the District of Columbia.

The courts also halted planned closures of Job Corps centers nationwide. The Department of Labor had cited cost concerns and safety issues in justifying the shuttering of 99 campuses, but the judge determined that the closures would disproportionately impact disadvantaged youth, many of whom rely on the program for education and job training. The restraining order ensures continued operations while litigation moves forward.

Immigration-related rulings extended further, as a federal judge in Oregon barred ICE from removing a transgender asylum seeker identified as "O-J-M" from a Washington detention facility. The judge demanded a full explanation from immigration authorities about the urgency and circumstances of the detained individual’s transfer, signaling heightened judicial scrutiny of immigration enforcement actions targeting vulnerable populations.

In another high-profile intervention, a federal judge blocked the arrest and deportation of Yunseo Chung, a Columbia University student who became active in anti-Israel protests earlier this year. Authorities had previously been unable to locate Chung, who subsequently filed a lawsuit challenging her detention. Legal advocates hailed the decision as a victory for both freedom of speech and the rule of law in the U.S., emphasizing the far-reaching implications for student activists and immigrants entangled in heated political debates.

These latest decisions underscore the increasingly adversarial relationship between the Trump administration and the federal judiciary. Judges, including several appointed by the sitting president, have taken bold action to check executive power, especially on matters where constitutional rights and congressional prerogatives are at stake. As legal battles intensify, the future of multiple policies—and the lives of those affected—remain in limbo pending further court hearings.