It is no secret the disdain the Trump Administration has shown towards the Justice system in America. On Truth Social, President Donald Trump has blasted the judges who have ruled against his agenda as “Crazed”, “Trump Hating”, and rogue, “activist judges” who hate the legal system.

His rivalry with the courts extends to the personal arena as well, with a host of cases unrelated to his official actions as president being litigated in the past few years alone. Ranging from his hush money scandal to mishandling of government documents and trying to overturn the 2020 election, Trump is no stranger to courtrooms.

But Donald Trump’s second term has seen an onslaught of lawsuits and challenges to his agenda that is unprecedented. Judges across the board have had to issue temporary restraining orders and nationwide injunctions against the Trump Administration’s actions, allowing for the multitude of lawsuits to play out. Trump in his first term saw 55, and between his 2025 inauguration and April, he has already seen 25.

For context, George W. Bush faced six, Obama saw 12, and Biden faced 14. So what are the main cases that have triggered this wave of restraining orders and pushes by MAGA Republicans to seek the impeachments of justices who restrain Trump’s agenda?

Analysis
The list of lawsuits facing the Trump Administration is vast, with the law and policy journal Just Security tracking 260 cases, including 10 closed cases. But they can be broadly categorized into five different arenas: Immigration, Universities and Their Students,  Federal Agencies and Their Staffs, DOGE, Foreign Policy, and then a mix of other miscellaneous, but still important, court cases.

Immigration

One of Trump’s biggest targets since assuming office has been undocumented immigrants, and he has targeted them aggressively. Citing a 1798 law called the Alien Enemies Act, Trump labeled the presence of foreign gang members (primarily those of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua) as warranted the classification of an invasion, and thus allowing him to detain and deport those he deems at fault. His legal woes really began with his mass deportation campaign, including many being sent to an infamous El Salvadoran prison or third-party countries that those deported had no connection to.

In connection with the El Salvador case, one man in particular became the focal point: Kilmar Abrego Garcia. His case revolved around the lack of due process the detainees had, and their inability to contest their detention, as Garcia claimed he wasn’t a member of the gang. After a huge back-and-forth, with injunctions preventing the detainee’s deportation and the Trump Administration ignoring those warnings, three courts, including the Supreme Court, have told the Trump administration to “facilitate” Garcia’s release.

Trump has yet to make a meaningful effort on this front, and even sat within El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele as he said he also would not facilitate his return. As of now, federal judges are suggesting the government is stonewalling, and one has ordered an inquiry into whether the White House violated the Supreme Court’s order.

Trump is pushing back, invoking state secrets privilege to prevent the inquiry from going anywhere.

Universities and Their Students

Trump’s grudge against higher education has extended to extremely vast budget and grant cuts to universities that don’t do what he says. Almost each one has been challenged in court, with schools and researchers from Harvard all the way to UC Berkeley pushing back to regain funding for their projects, which are often lifesaving research.

Many judges have blocked these funding cuts while the cases pend, but his cuts extend far beyond collegiate and research funding.

There is also a host of foreign students who have been detained, deported, or denied entry into the country, often in connection with pro-Palestine protests on college campuses. In most cases, they were detained and transferred to a Louisiana detention center (likely for a favorable judge), but all have been released by judges.

As part of  Trump’s campaign against Harvard, he has essentially banned international students from enrolling at the university. Harvard has stood its ground so far, and this case is still making its way to the courts, as the school has asked a judge to block the visa restrictions Trump placed.

Cuts in Government Agencies and Their Staffs

There are lawsuits against Trumps  funding cuts of the Department of Health and Human Services immigration legal resources, which are currently being appealed. There are lawsuits by a coalition of nonprofits and small businesses against the Office of Management and Budget’s memo requiring every federal agency to pause any activities related to President Donald Trump’s executive orders. This is also in the process of being appealed in the D.C Court of Appeals.

Department heads, fired either by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) or Trump, are also protesting their removals.

Gwynne Wilcox, a member of the National Labor Relations Board, cited a lack of valid legal reasoning for her removal. Cathy A. Harris, a member of the Merit Systems Protection Board, used the same reasoning in her lawsuit against her removal from the board.

Arguably more important has been the ongoing case launched after Susan Grundmann, former Chair of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, sued President Trump, challenging her removal from the authority.

All of the above cases are still in the appeal process, and the board members and workers have been, at least nominally, reinstated to comply with courts blocking their firings while the lawsuits play out.

But there have been cases where the government has outright won. Hampton Dellinger, a Special Counsel, sued Trump over his firing without cause. A federal judge allowed him to return to work while the case proceeded, and the Supreme Court rejected the government’s appeal of this decision in February. But in March, the circuit court then issued a decision that effectively removed Dellinger from his position. The next day, Dellinger dropped his case.

Lawsuits Against DOGE

Many of the aforementioned firings were tied to DOGE’s actions, which is also a common lawsuit target. Nonprofits and states have pushed back against the department’s firings of federal workers, including National Park staff, on the basis that DOGE does not have a legal right to do so.

DOGE has had a bit more of a troubled court history. In one case, labor unions sued them and the Social Security Administration over their access to the sensitive private information of Americans. Judges ordered a stay on the government’s access, but the government’s appeal was promptly denied. Although the case is still ongoing, for the moment, DOGE has lost access to the database (although they may have still gotten out of the database before losing access).

Elon Musk, Trump’s now ex-right-hand man, is also not immune to lawsuits. Fourteen states have filed a lawsuit questioning DOGE’s very basis for existing and the power it has so far been able to wield. After a very long back-and-forth of motions to dismiss and appeal, they issued an order and memorandum opinion that granted Defendant’s motion to judge agreed to dismiss the complaint against President Trump, but denied the motion to dismiss for all other Defendants.

One of the core cases here, Public Citizen Inc et al v. Donald J. Trump and Office of Management and Budget, recently was consolidated with a host of other similar lawsuits under Lentini v. DOGE. This case is currently consolidating evidence from Musk’s lawyers about what exactly his position is, and also weighing motions from the government to dismiss the case.

Foreign Polic Lawsuits

On the foreign policy front, the lawsuits against USAID’s dismantling have been a focal point from day one. Three main cases, one from the American Foreign Service Association, one from the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, and one from the Global Health Council are all currently still being litigated.

Far more recently have been a slew of lawsuits challenging Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. Oregon managed to get a stay on some tariffs placed while their case proceeds, as did five businesses that rely on imports who came together to sue Trump.

Other Important Cases

In almost all the arenas above, the government has resorted to a tried and true method of delaying decisions and appealing them until they can find a favorable court to give them the result they desire, whether that be a certain appellate court or even the Supreme Court.

But while those cases continue through the judicial system, there have been a handful of other canvases that warrant mentioning, as they have mostly already made their ways through the courts.

Mexico has been trying to sue American gun manufacturers in relation to the high rates of gun violence in the country by cartels using American-made weapons. On June 5th, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that weapons manufactures were protected, ending a years long process

Another flashpoint have been the dropping of criminal cases against NY Mayor Eric Adams, which happened back in April in what many deem an explicit quid pro quo to help Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. But recently, the City Council has been considering a charter revision that could give the council the power to begin removal proceedings against a sitting mayor. The move comes as the NY mayoral race begins picking up speed, with Andrew Cuomo making a stunning comeback to be the front-runner while newcomers like Zohran Mamdani are gaining a lot of momentum.

Finally, there was a glimmer of hope for the separation of church and state. In late May, the Supreme Court, in an even 4-4 split after Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself, blocked funding for a religious charter school in Oklahoma. Taxpayer funds, including funds used for public schools, have long been considered off limits to religious institutions on a 1st Amendment basis.

The Supreme Court is about to have a very busy summer, between the older cases making their way through the appeals process up to them and new cases constantly being brought. Right now, 37 cases are awaiting decisions, over half of the court’s caseload this term. Each case will have far-reaching consequences, and the Supreme Court is beginning to look like one of the last bastions of resistance to Trump’s agenda.

Engagement Resources

• Court Listener is a free database giving direct access to court documents, legal opinions, and upcoming case dates on any U.S.-based case.
• Just Security’s Litigation Tracker is a database tracking the court documents in each case. Just Security is a non-partisan, digital law and policy journal.
• AP News has a database tracking the lawsuits, which have been blocked, which are pending, and which are in place, while also giving news updates.