WASHINGTON – A growing number of judges, including those appointed by Republican presidents-even Donald Trump-are issuing rulings that block key elements of the Biden governance’s policies, prompting the White House to accuse the judiciary of a “left-wing insurrection.” While conservative critics have long decried judicial activism, the current wave of rebukes extends beyond ideologically aligned judges, revealing a broader challenge to presidential authority and sparking debate over the scope of executive power.
The disputes center on the Biden administration’s attempts to reshape domestic and foreign policy, from immigration and environmental regulations to the oversight of U.S. international broadcasting. These judicial challenges aren’t simply procedural delays; they represent significant setbacks for the administration’s agenda, potentially forcing revisions or outright abandonment of key initiatives. The outcomes will shape the balance of power between the executive and judicial branches and influence the future of policy implementation across a range of critical areas.
One recent case involved the administration’s efforts to curtail the activities of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees the Voice of america and other state-owned media. U.S.District Judge Royce C.Lamberth, nominated by Ronald Reagan in 1987, suspended the plan, stating, “It is hard to fathom a more straightforward display of arbitrary and capricious actions than the Defendants’ actions here.” The judge’s ruling, and the accompanying filing, can be found here.
Similarly, a judge appointed by Trump in 2019 rebuked the administration over funding cuts to the U.S. Agency for Global Media. That judge, whose name has not been released, asserted, “agencies do not have unfettered power to further a President’s agenda.” A copy of the filing is available here.
The administration sought to severely curtail the activities of the US Agency for Global Media, as reported by CNN here. These rulings, and others like them, demonstrate that resistance to the administration’s policies isn’t limited to judges traditionally considered liberal.
