Trump Administration Faces Legal Setbacks Over Judicial Authority
President Donald Trump faces a court ruling limiting his power to fire U.S. attorneys and a Supreme Court review of mass detention policies.
The Trump administration is engaged in a series of legal confrontations with the judiciary involving the removal of federal prosecutors and the conduct of judges. In Washington, U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian ruled that the president cannot unilaterally fire U.S. attorneys appointed by the district court. This decision reinstates Roger Rogoff as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington and prohibits the Justice Department and the executive office from interfering with his tenure.
Simultaneously, the administration is pursuing aggressive actions against the judiciary in Minnesota. Attorney General Todd Blanche and senior Department of Justice officials filed a complaint with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals against nearly all active federal judges in the state. The complaint alleges unethical behavior after the judges gave an interview to the New York Times regarding Operation Metro Surge. The Justice Department is seeking a special investigation and the recusal of Judges Patrick Schiltz and John R. Tunheim from cases involving the Department of Homeland Security.
Further legal scrutiny is mounting as the Supreme Court prepares to review the administration's policy of mass detention without bond. Several lower courts have already found this practice to be unlawful.
