#executive-order

6 entries with this tag

Constitutional Violations

On the Same Day Trump Held a Housing Bill Hostage for a Voter-ID Law, a Judge Permanently Struck Down His Voter-ID Executive Order — Ruling He Has No Power Over Elections At All

On June 24, 2026 — the same day Trump canceled the signing of a bipartisan housing bill to pressure Congress into passing his SAVE America Act voter-ID law — U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston permanently struck down most of his elections executive order, including its requirement that Americans show documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. In a 59-page ruling converting her year-old preliminary injunction into a permanent one, Casper held that the Constitution "does not grant the President any specific powers over elections," that authority belongs to the states and Congress, and that the order violated separation of powers. She also found the Justice Department "failed to demonstrate the alleged fraud" used to justify the order, and that the policy "would have disenfranchised thousands." The case was brought by 19 states. It is the latest in a string of defeats: three separate federal judges have now blocked the 2025 order. The ruling lays bare the futility loop Trump is in — courts say he can't do it by executive order, so he's trying to do it by legislation (the SAVE Act), which can't get 60 votes in the Senate, which is why he's now holding popular bills hostage to force it through. Noncitizen voting is already a felony and is vanishingly rare; the federal registration form already requires attesting to citizenship under penalty of prison or deportation.

Ballot box — Trump attempted to seize federal control over mail-in voting
Constitutional Violations

Trump Seizes Federal Control Over Mail-In Ballots — Experts Say He Lacks the Authority

Trump signed an executive order directing DHS to create national voter eligibility lists and the Postal Service to only send ballots to "verified" voters. Experts: "The Constitution doesn't give DHS any power over elections." ACLU immediately pledged to sue.

Havana skyline — plunged into total darkness after Trump's oil blockade collapsed the grid
Foreign Policy Failures

Trump Blockades Cuba's Oil, Grid Collapses, Threatens to "Take" Cuba — Ambassador: "Surrender Isn't in Our Dictionary"

Trump imposed the first effective oil blockade of Cuba since the Missile Crisis, causing a nationwide blackout. He said he'd have "the honor of taking Cuba." Cuba's ambassador: "Surrender isn't in our dictionary." The UN warned of threats to food, water, and hospitals.

American flag — Trump ordered prosecution of burning it despite Supreme Court protections
Constitutional Violations

Ordered Prosecution of Flag Burning — Protected Speech Since 1989

Trump signed an order directing prosecution of flag burning and deportation of noncitizen flag burners — despite two Supreme Court rulings (including one joined by Scalia) confirming flag burning is protected speech. The DOJ's test case collapsed.

Constitutional Violations

Attempted to End Birthright Citizenship by Executive Order

Trump signed an executive order attempting to strip citizenship from babies born on U.S. soil — directly contradicting the 14th Amendment and 130+ years of Supreme Court precedent. Federal courts unanimously blocked it as "blatantly unconstitutional."

Protests at airports against the Muslim travel ban, January 2017
Cruelty & Rights Abuses

Muslim Travel Ban

Trump signed an executive order banning citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S., causing chaos at airports worldwide. Over 700 travelers were detained and up to 60,000 visas were revoked.