Lower courts blocking Trumps executive orders at much higher rate than predecessors

The Republicans may have complete control of Congress, but President Trump still has a major roadblock to carrying out his agenda — the courts.The lower courts blocked more of Trump’s executive orders in his first two months of office than they did for other recent commanders in chief during their entire terms.The lower courts have slapped at least 15 national injunctions against Trump so far this year.That drastically outpaces the six against former President George W.Bush during his entire presidency and the 12 against former President Barack Obama and the 14 against former President Joe Biden for their whole time in office, too, according to a tally from Harvard Law Review.If the current pace holds up, it’s on track to top the total 64 nationwide injunctions Trump faced during his first term in the White House.

In his first term, Trump signed 220 executive orders, a figure in line with the other three presidents, according to the American Presidency Project.He has signed more than 90 since the start of his second term, the Federal Register says.In the past, lower court rulings were more tailored to the case before them.But in recent years, the courts have become increasingly comfortable making their injunctions take effect nationwide.Such injunctions have hamstrung Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship and a whole host of other policies he’s pursued.

Trump’s administration has used the injunction against his birthright citizenship in an effort to petition the US Supreme Court to rein in the lower courts’ increasing use of such blocks.The Supreme Court gave critics of the Trump administration’s petition until April 4 to defend the injunction, indicating that justices do not feel like they’re in any particular rush to settle the issue.Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch have been fiercely critical of lower courts overusing nationwide injunctions and overstepping their power generally.Earlier this month, Alito penned a s...