The White House escalated its confrontation with federal judges on Wednesday following a court ruling that struck down President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, with administration officials denouncing what they characterized as judicial overreach and threatening the integrity of executive authority.
A bipartisan panel at the U.S. International Court of Trade unanimously determined Wednesday that Trump had exceeded his authority in imposing reciprocal tariffs, ruling that his justification using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act was insufficient. The judges ordered the levies to be vacated, stating that the tariff orders exceeded any authority granted to the president under IEEPA to regulate importation through tariffs.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded forcefully to the decision, asserting that trade deficits have created a national emergency that has decimated American communities. Desai contended that unelected judges should not decide how to properly address a national emergency. The administration signaled it would appeal the court’s decision to higher courts.
White House senior adviser Stephen Miller intensified the administration’s rhetoric, claiming on social media that the judicial coup is out of control. Miller later argued that the United States was facing a judicial coup and warned that it would mark the end of democracy if courts did not stop halting individual orders issued by the Trump administration.
The tariff ruling represents the latest in a series of judicial setbacks for the Trump administration, which has faced an unprecedented number of court challenges. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted during a briefing Thursday that Trump was blocked from taking executive action more times in February, his first full month in office, than his predecessor was in three years. By the end of April, Trump had already issued 157 executive orders, setting a record for executive actions at such a pace.
Leavitt characterized the pattern as a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges inserting themselves into the presidential decision-making process. She argued that America cannot function if any president has sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations undermined by activist judges. The press secretary accused judges of threatening to undermine the credibility of the United States on the world stage and brazenly abusing their judicial power to usurp presidential authority.
The administration’s attacks on the judiciary extended beyond the tariff case. Federal judges have also blocked Trump’s rollback of Biden-era immigration programs and his targeting of various law firms. At least 15 injunctions were issued against the administration in February alone, compared to 14 injunctions against the Biden administration over three years.
Several judges have ruled against the administration on immigration matters, including orders to reinstate fired probationary federal employees and halt deportations of certain migrants. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a court order halting the deportation of Venezuelan migrants, while Judge Brian Murphy ruled that the administration violated a court order by deporting eight migrants to South Sudan.
The White House’s criticism of Murphy was particularly harsh, with Leavitt calling him a liberal activist engaged in massive judicial overreach. She accused Murphy of forcing federal officials to remain in Djibouti for over two weeks and threatening U.S. diplomatic relationships worldwide. The press secretary argued that a district court judge in Massachusetts cannot control the foreign policy or national security of the United States.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare rebuke of the president’s attacks on the judiciary, while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson characterized the rhetoric as designed to intimidate the judiciary and as attacks on democracy that risk undermining the Constitution and rule of law. A Reuters investigation found that at least 11 federal judges who have ruled against Trump have faced threats of violence and harassment directed at their families.
The administration has consistently challenged court orders, with Trump previously calling judges crooked, radical, and monsters. The president has personally attacked individual judges, including those who have issued rulings against his policies on immigration, federal employment, and trade.
Despite having appointed three of the nine sitting Supreme Court justices, Trump has faced defeats at the nation’s highest court less than six months into his second term. The Supreme Court blocked his administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport migrants, representing a significant legal setback for the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
News broke hours after Leavitt’s Thursday briefing that a federal appeals court panel had temporarily stayed the lower court’s ruling against Trump on tariffs. However, administration officials maintained their criticism of the judiciary, with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro deflecting questions about the frequency of attacks on judges by lashing out at reporters during a press conference.
