❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge appointed by President Donald J. Trump dismissed a Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit targeting all 15 federal judges in Maryland, calling it “not ordinary.”
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: District Judge Thomas Cullen, the Trump administration, and the Maryland federal judges.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued on Monday in Maryland.
💬KEY QUOTE: “To hold otherwise would run counter to overwhelming precedent, depart from longstanding constitutional tradition, and offend the rule of law.” – Judge Thomas Cullen
🎯IMPACT: The ruling underscores tensions between the judiciary and the Trump administration, with over 200 lawsuits challenging the administration’s policies.
A federal court has dismissed a Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit that targeted all 15 federal judges in Maryland. The case stems from an order that blocked the Trump administration from deporting illegal immigrants who sought to challenge their removal in court.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Cullen, who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2019, described the lawsuit as “not ordinary” and criticized the administration’s approach. He stated, “Any fair reading of the legal authorities cited by Defendants leads to the ineluctable conclusion that this court has no alternative but to dismiss.”
The DOJ had argued that the judges’ pause on deportation proceedings hindered the President’s authority to enforce immigration laws. However, Cullen sided with the Maryland judges, who contended that the lawsuit was an attack on the judiciary.
In his ruling, Cullen emphasized that the administration should address grievances through proper legal channels, stating, “If Trump truly believes that the Maryland judges’ order is illegal, then the administration should avail itself of the tried-and-true recourse available to all federal litigants: It should appeal.”
While the case was always considered a long shot, some in the administration had hoped a win could tamp down the scale of Democratic lawfare currently hampering efforts to deport the millions of illegal immigrants allowed into the country under former President Joe Biden.
There has been tension between President Trump and Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society since he began his second term, with the America First leader contending they recommended bad judges to him during his first term.
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