Maddie Luebkert, Social Media Editor–
Let’s take a moment to review some of the actions of the Trump administration. Right now, receiving the most attention are the reciprocal tariffs implemented on “Liberation Day,” which American businesses will pay, and may pass on to their consumers. Some significant ones include the 20 percent tariff on the European Union, 24 percent on Japan, and 34 percent on China.
But let’s not forget the beginning. On day one, President Donald Trump signed an order to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal government. Then, he reinstated the death penalty and hoped to end birthright citizenship through an executive order. Trump has also canceled flights of refugees on their way to the U.S., shut down FEMA, dismantled the Department of Education, took down government information online, suggested Canada and Greenland become states, banned AP News from presidential events, fired thousands of government employees, repealed environmental regulations, invoked the Alien Enemies Act, and has considered serving a third term.
Congress is not doing much to check President Trump’s power as it continues to grow. In fact, members of Congress have actually given up some of their powers to Trump willingly. One way representatives accomplished this transfer of power is through a stopgap spending bill, a bill aimed at cutting federal spending that supported many of the administration’s requests.
And despite concerns about tariffs, Speaker Mike Johnson said that the House is aiming to provide “space” for the administration’s tariffs before they take action. While some senators are introducing bills attempting to rein in the president’s power and gain some power back in trade policy, no one so far has taken substantial action.
That is, except for the courts. In the wake of the executive branch redesigning the federal government, the judicial branch, known as the weakest branch, is not going down without a fight.
The courts have prevented Trump from prevailing in budget freezes. The Supreme Court agreed with a district judge that funding for the National Institutes of Health that goes toward research labs must be unfrozen. In a similar case, a federal judge blocked a plan by the administration to cut $4 billion in federal funds for research at cancer centers and hospitals.
Trump has also received pushback from the courts on his mission to terminate birthright citizenship. So far, not a single court has sided with the administration on this issue. Now, it has been brought to the Supreme Court. Though some speculate that they might not completely bar the way for Trump to carry out some parts of this goal.
There are also ongoing court battles about Elon Musk’s role in the government. After a failed attempt at swinging a Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and even before then, many have questioned the legality and legitimacy of Musk’s role in the government. Nonprofit groups have sued the administration over Musk’s position, arguing that the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act. This case is still ongoing.
While they have been making the news with their challenges, there are still a lot of ways that the courts are weak and may not fulfill their role as a check on the branch. Specifically, Trump can always just decide to ignore the decision of the courts. And this may be the case, especially after Vice President J.D. Vance tweeted that “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.” Whether the executive branch’s power really is legitimate, however, is in fact a question for the courts.
Maddie Luebkert ‘27 is a journalism major from Northville, Michigan.