Donald Trump Scores Major Legal Win on Blocked Order
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
President Donald Trump's administration secured a legal win on Friday when a federal appeals court lifted a lower court injunction that had blocked the president's plan to end unionizing rights for hundreds of thousands of federal workers in a case brought by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).
Newsweek contacted the Department of Justice and the NTEU for comment on Saturday via online inquiry form and email respectively outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress the courts have emerged as arguably the most significant impediment to Trump administration policy.
Since Donald Trump's second inauguration in January courts have blocked a number of his policies including a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, the freezing of billions in foreign aid and on Friday the Supreme Court ruled against deporting Venezuelan nationals using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
What To Know
Friday saw a U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit panel put on hold an injunction issued by a lower court blocking the implementation of an executive order issued by Trump in March on union rights in federal government.
Trump's executive order removed more than a dozen federal agencies, including the departments of Defense, State, Treasury, Justice, Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, from union bargaining obligations regarding their employees.
A preliminary injunction blocking the executive order's implementation was then issued by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman on April 25 in response to an NTEU legal challenge.
President Donald Trump raises his fist after arriving on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 16, 2025, following a trip to the Middle East.
President Donald Trump raises his fist after arriving on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 16, 2025, following a trip to the Middle East.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY
The NTEU argued Trump's order was in violation both of federal workers' labor rights and the U.S. Constitution.
Friday's decision was made in a 2-1 ruling with the George H.W. Bush appointee Judge Karen Henderson, and first term Trump appointee Judge Justin Walker, ruling against the injunction while President Joe Biden appointee Judge Michelle Childs argued it should remain.
According to court documents, around a million federal employees would be impacted by the executive order on union representation, which the NTEU said included around 100,000 of its members.
What People Are Saying
In their majority decision Judges Henderson and Walker said: "Preserving the President's autonomy under a statute that expressly recognizes his national-security expertise is within the public interest."
Judge Childs argued the administration had only provided "vague assertions" about the initial injunction's national security implications.
She added: "How can the Government argue that the district court injunction will cause irreparable injury when the Government itself voluntarily imposed that same constraint?"
What Happens Next
The NTEU has not said whether it plans to appeal Friday's ruling. If the ruling stands, and Trump's executive order goes into effect, hundreds of thousands of federal workers stand to lose union collective bargaining rights.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
18 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump called Orban to win his support for Ukraine joining EU: Report
President Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday to win his support for Ukraine to join the European Union (EU), a conversation that came after discussions with European leaders who were at the White House, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The talk with Orban, one of the staunchest Trump allies in Europe, resulted from the president's Monday deliberations with European leaders who were in Washington, along with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. The top European officials asked if the president could utilize his sway over the Hungarian prime minister to force the nationalist leader to do away with his opposition to Ukraine's joining the EU, a goal Kyiv has long sought, the outlet reported. Hungary expressed willingness to host the next summit, featuring both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has backed the idea of a Putin-Zelensky summit, after which a trilateral meeting would take place between the two leaders and the U.S. president. The location and timing for the meeting are unclear. The White House is eyeing a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky in Budapest, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing a White House official and another person close to the administration. Orban, who has a warm relationship with Putin, has tried to block or delay the EU's attempts to send weapons to Ukraine in the past, along with, at times, objecting to sanctions against the Kremlin. Neither the White House nor Orban's office has commented on the call. Orban said on Tuesday on Facebook that Ukraine's membership in the EU 'does not provide any security guarantees,' therefore, 'linking membership with security guarantees is unnecessary and dangerous.' Trump's call with Orban came the same day as the president's discussion with Putin, which lasted about 40 minutes and took place without European leaders or Zelensky being in the room with the commander-in-chief. The gathering of European officials and Zelensky in Washington on Monday came just days after Trump, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, met with Putin, alongside two other Russian officials, on Friday in Alaska. Rubio now leads the recently formed joint commission that will work on drafting a security guarantees proposal for Ukraine. The commission is made up of U.S., European, Ukrainian and NATO officials. Trump, who has pushed to end the Russia-Ukraine war, the conflict that has raged for about three-and-a-half years, signaled openness to providing air support for Ukraine as part of security guarantees. 'We're willing to help them with things, especially, probably, if you talk about by air because nobody has stuff we have,' the president said Tuesday.
Newsweek
19 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg's Chances of Beating JD Vance in 2028: Poll
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new poll shows potential 2028 presidential election matchups between Vice President JD Vance and prominent Democratic leaders as next year's midterm campaigns are on the horizon. Why It Matters Early polls, especially in crucial swing states, have gained significance as potential contenders for the 2028 presidential election begin to emerge. Even with the election still a few years away, polling could offer insight into candidate viability, voter sentiment and evolving party dynamics, particularly after the pivotal 2024 election cycle. What To Know In the poll released Tuesday by SoCal Strategies and sponsored by On Point Politics and Red Eagle Politics, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom secured 39 percent in a potential matchup with Vance, who landed 37 percent. The survey shows 23 percent were undecided in the matchup. In a race against former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Vance trailed with 37 percent of the vote compared to Buttigieg's 41 percent. The survey shows 21 percent were undecided. The poll surveyed 700 U.S. adults on August 18. "The survey was weighted by age, gender, race, education, and 2024 vote to match the Bonfire National Voter File," the pollster noted. ESPN host Stephen A. Smith also came close to Vance in the survey, receiving 35 percent of the vote compared to Vance's 37 percent. Previous polling has shown Vance as the clear GOP primary front-runner. The field is more crowded for Democrats, as former Vice President Kamala Harris, Newsom and Buttigieg all are early top contenders. Tuesday's poll also shows President Donald Trump's overall approval rating at 45 percent versus a disapproval rating of 48 percent. California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks on the state's redistricting plans at a news conference on August 14 in Los Angeles. (Photo by) California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks on the state's redistricting plans at a news conference on August 14 in Los Angeles. (Photo by) What People Are Saying Columbia University professor Robert Y. Shapiro, to Newsweek via email on Tuesday: "It is of course much too early to tell anything significant from this other than the 2028 election is likely to be close just like the last presidential elections. See the high percent undecided as well. "The data may suggest that Vance is not as strong a candidate as Donald Trump, but we would need to compare the hypothetical of Trump running for an imaginary third term against Newsom or Buttigieg. Regardless of what might happen in the midterm election, it looks like 2028 will be another nail biter..." Trump, while answering questions during a news conference on the 2028 Olympics, when directly asked if Vance is the successor to MAGA: "Well, I think most likely in all fairness, he's the vice president. I think Marco [Rubio] is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form. I also think we have incredible people, some of the people on the stage right here, so it's too early obviously to talk about it but certainly he's doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point." What Happens Next Pollsters and analysts were expected to release additional national and state-level surveys in the coming months as midterm campaigning ramps up.
Wall Street Journal
19 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Backs Giant Arizona Copper Project After Court Setback
President Trump signaled support for a giant copper mine in Arizona following a meeting with the heads of two of the world's biggest mining companies, a day after the project was delayed by a court injunction. The project, called Resolution Copper, has been under development by mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Group BHP -0.55%decrease; red down pointing triangle for roughly two decades, but it has faced legal challenges from Native American people, religious groups and others who say the planned mine will turn a sacred area into a crater.
