WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is facing a series of legal challenges over presidential authority, with disputes involving White House construction, tariffs, voting rules and birthright citizenship moving through federal courts and, in some cases, toward the Supreme Court.
The latest setback came on Friday, when a federal appeals court halted above-ground construction of President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom, ruling that the administration needed congressional approval for major structural changes to the presidential residence. The 2-1 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit followed a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The administration has argued the project, which is being financed with private funds, is important for security and White House operations.
The ruling is one of several recent court battles testing the limits of Trump's executive power. The administration has indicated it will seek further review, while the appeals court temporarily delayed enforcement to allow time for a possible Supreme Court appeal.
Trump's tariff policies are also being challenged. Twenty-five states sued the administration this week over a new round of global tariffs imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, arguing the president exceeded his authority. The action followed a Supreme Court ruling that rejected Trump's earlier use of emergency powers to impose broad tariffs. The administration has said the new tariffs rely on authority granted by Congress and vowed to defend them in court.
Voting policy is another front. A group of 23 states and the District of Columbia has asked the Supreme Court to preserve a lower-court order blocking parts of Trump's executive order governing mail-in voting. The challengers argue the order would impose new federal requirements on voter verification and ballot handling before the November elections.
Meanwhile, Trump signed two new executive orders on Thursday seeking to narrow birthright citizenship, weeks after the Supreme Court rejected his earlier attempt to restrict the constitutional guarantee. The new measures target specific circumstances involving children of people deemed "alien enemies" or people accused of using fraudulent tourist visas for childbirth. Their legality is expected to be contested.
The cases collectively place major elements of Trump's domestic agenda before the judiciary, with several disputes likely to require further rulings from federal appeals courts or the Supreme Court.
