As President Trump is about to begin nominating new federal judges in his second term, it is important to recognize that the 234 that were confirmed in his first term continue to do significant damage across the country. This post highlights 23 decisions from January 1 through March 31, 2025, in which Trump justices and judges have harmed environmental protection, damaged workers’ rights, hurt efforts to promote gun safety, threatened reproductive and other constitutional rights, and much more. They have caused even more damage in combination with Trump Justice Department actions that harm our rights.
Perhaps most important, as judges nominated both by Republican and Democratic presidents issue decisions delaying or stopping Trump efforts to dismantle our government, Trump judges have often done the opposite. Several have ruled in favor of Trump in such cases and allowed this harmful conduct to continue.
Each case is summarized below, along with a link to the full People For the American Way blog entry on the decision and to the ruling itself. Such rulings demonstrate the importance to all of us of nominating and confirming fair-minded federal judges and the dangers posed by Trump-nominated judges.
Trump government demolition
- Trump Judge Lets Musk Resume Dismantling Foreign Aid Agency
- Trump Judge Approves Firing by Trump of Independent Board Members Despite Legal Protection
- Trump Judge Clears Way for Firing of Over 2000 AID Employees
- Trump Judge Tries to Authorize Immediate Trump Deportation of Migrants to El Salvador Prison
Environment and health
- Trump Judge Helps Big Corporation Keep Environmental Cases Out of State Court
- Trump Justices Harm EPA Clean Water Enforcement
- Trump Judge Blocks Cigarette Warning Labels
Gun safety and firearms
- Trump Judges Rule Some Convicted Drug Users Can Possess Firearms
- Trump Judges Strike Down Hawaii Gun Safety Law
- Trump Judge Delivers “Wildly Improper” Video Dissent in Firearms Case
Immigration
- Trump Judge Rejects Asylum Application Despite Strong Evidence of Gang Persecution
- Trump Judge Denies Citizenship to Son of Naturalized Mother
- Trump Judge Subjects Immigrant to Possible Torture
Worker and disability rights
- Trump Judges Excuse Corporation for Firing Whistleblower
- Trump Judge Casts Deciding Vote to Reject Disability Claim
- Trump Judge Upholds Denial of Worker Disability Claim
Civil & constitutional rights
- Trump Judges Limit Absentee Ballots, Judge Ho Attacks Law Firms
- Trump Judge Requires State to Fund Discriminatory Religious Preschool
- Trump Judge Throws Out Prisoner Claim of Improper Search
- Trump Judge Allows Police Wearing of Hateful Symbol
- Trump Judge Again Tries to Block Abortion Pill
