House OKs placing limits on federal judges' rulings
By: Riley Beggin
USA Today
WASHINGTON - Addressing complaints about the courts from President Donald Trump, House Republicans approved legislation April 9 [2025] to restrict federal judges from issuing opinions and directives that have immediate national consequences.
.....
The measure passed 218-214 along mostly partisan lines and still faces an uphill climb to pass the Senate. It is the latest mover by the Republican-led Congress to restrict the federal judiciary, which they argue is unfairly targeting Trump and his policies.
..... The bill form Representative Darrell Issa, R-California, would stop federal judges from issuing nationwide injunctions - such as the one issued by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to temporarily halt the administration's efforts to deport migrants under the Alien Enemies Act - and cerate a new process by which muiltstate cases against the president would be reviewed by a random three-judge panel.
..... The U.S. Supreme Court on April 7 [2025] overruled Boasberg's injunction and allowed the administration to continue deportations of certain immigrants.
..... "We are hear today because a major malfunction in the federal judiciary has been recognized by both Republicans and Democrats," Issa said at a hearing in early April. [2025] "Activist district court judges usurping their Article III power and imposing on the nation injunctions beyond the scope of what the United States Congress, under statue, has given federal judges."
..... Issa and other Republicans have also complained about a practice known as "judge shopping" - which is employed by both political parties - in which plaintiffs pick courts through which to file their cases based on the ideological preferences of the judges.
.....
Federal workers, unions troops and others have brought more than 150 lawsuits in federal courts against the president, Trump adviser Elon Musk and the rest of the administration.
..... In at least 67 cases through March 28, [2025] the litigants made emergency requests to judges to temporarily block Trump's polices with restraining orders or injunctions, according to a review by Steve Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown University. Judges temporarily blocked polices at least 46 times, Vladeck found.
..... Issa's bill reflects longstanding frustration among Republicans over the litany of lawsuits against Trump administration policies.
..... Democrats have argued that there is no partisan conspiracy to stop Trump's actions and that the rulings are a reflection of his willingness to violate the law.
..... They note that judges appointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents have issued injunctions against dozens of Trump's actions.
.... However, the bill has little chance of advancing in the Senate, where Republicans control the chamber 53-47. That's enough to bypass the filibuster, which requires a 60-vote threshold to cut off debate. Democrats in Congress have opposed the bill.
..... Contributing: Bart Jansen USA Today