A federal judge has slammed the brakes on President Trump’s bold move to gut three federal agencies, proving once again that the judiciary loves playing referee in the political arena.
Breitbart reported that on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John McConnell blocked Trump’s executive order, which targeted the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Minority Business Development Agency, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for elimination.
The ruling, sparked by a lawsuit from 21 Democratic-led states, declares the shutdowns a violation of the separation of powers. It’s a classic case of blue states crying foul when the red team tries to trim the bureaucratic fat.
Trump’s March 14 executive order aimed to dismantle seven agencies, but these three caught the spotlight in this legal showdown.
The order triggered layoffs, froze grants, and slashed programs, sending shockwaves through the affected agencies. Some folks think museums and minority businesses can’t survive without Uncle Sam’s endless handouts.
The coalition of states, led by Rhode Island’s Peter Neronha, New York’s Letitia James, and Hawaii’s Anne Lopez, argued that Trump’s plan overstepped his authority.
They claimed the shutdowns would cripple services their states rely on, like library grants and business development programs. Funny how “states’ rights” only matter when it suits their narrative.
Judge McConnell, an Obama appointee, sided with the states, ruling that the executive order ignored Congress’s role in making laws and appropriating funds.
“It disregards the fundamental constitutional role of each branch,” McConnell intoned, as if Trump’s team didn’t know the civics lesson. The lecture might sting, but it’s par for the course from a judge who’s no stranger to thwarting Trump.
The Trump administration argued the states lacked standing to sue and suggested the case belonged in the Court of Federal Claims. McConnell swatted that defense away, keeping the case in his Rhode Island courtroom. Looks like the administration’s legal team needs a refresher on picking their battles.
The executive order’s fallout was swift, with mass layoffs and grant freezes hitting the agencies hard. The Institute of Museum and Library Services, for instance, saw layoffs paused by another judge just last week, signaling the courts are circling the wagons.
Meanwhile, the Minority Business Development Agency and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service faced their first judicial roadblock with McConnell’s ruling.
McConnell wrote that the states showed “compelling evidence” of harm, citing reduced staff and eliminated programs. “Harms are already unfolding,” he declared, painting a grim picture of agencies on life support. But let’s be real: are these programs so vital that states can’t step up and fill the gap themselves?
The Justice Department, ever loyal, vowed to keep fighting for Trump’s vision. “This Department has vigorously defended President Trump’s executive actions,” a spokesperson said, doubling down on the “Reduce the Federal Bureaucracy” order. Good luck convincing a judge who’s already got his gavel aimed at the White House.
This isn’t McConnell’s first rodeo blocking Trump’s agenda. He previously halted a Trump attempt to freeze federal grants across the board, a move that earned him impeachment threats from one House Republican. This judge has a knack for ruffling conservative feathers.
That earlier grant freeze ruling set the stage for this week’s decision, showing McConnell’s no fan of executive overreach—at least when it’s coming from the right. One wonders if he’d be as quick to slap down a Democratic president’s power grab. Selective constitutional outrage, anyone?
The states’ lawsuit leaned heavily on the argument that Trump’s order ignored Congress’s authority to fund these agencies.
McConnell agreed, scolding the administration for trying to “dismantle congressionally sanctioned agencies.” It’s a tired script: the left cries “separation of powers” whenever Trump tries to shake up the swamp.
With McConnell’s ruling, the three agencies live to fight another day, but the broader battle over Trump’s executive order is far from over. The Justice Department’s pledge to keep defending the order suggests more courtroom clashes are on the horizon. Buckle up for another round of legal ping-pong.