Presidential authority

  • Letitia James Files Legal Challenge Against Trump’s Executive Order to Dismantle U.S. Department of Education

    New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by 20 other Democratic attorneys general, has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to block former President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. The motion, filed on Monday, March 23, 2025, in Massachusetts federal court, argues that the executive order is…

  • Federal Judge Blocks Trump Executive Order Targeting Law Firm Perkins Coie

    A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has temporarily halted enforcement of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump that sought to penalize the law firm Perkins Coie by restricting its access to federal buildings and threatening government contracts for its clients. The ruling, issued Wednesday, March 12, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell,…

  • U.S. Supreme Court Under Pressure to Remove Order Halting Firing of Ethics Agency Chief

    The Trump administration has formally asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a lower court order preventing the removal of Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC). The administration argues that the ruling is an “unprecedented assault on the separation of powers” and requires immediate intervention. The emergency application, submitted on…

  • Legal Case Study: The Limits of Executive Orders in the United States

    Introduction Executive orders are directives issued by the President of the United States to manage operations of the federal government. While they are a powerful tool for presidential action, their limits are often tested in the courts, particularly when they conflict with constitutional principles, statutory law, or the separation of powers. During his first week…

  • Turkey Pardoning and Presidential Authority: A Brief History

    Did you know that the tradition of presidential turkey pardoning, a beloved Thanksgiving tradition in the United States, has a fascinating and somewhat murky history? While President Lincoln is often credited with the first turkey “pardoning” in 1863, it wasn’t until much later, during President Reagan’s term, that the modern practice of sparing turkeys from…