Federal judge rules White House defied court order as Trump’s legal battle with judiciary escalates

A federal judge has ruled that the White House failed to comply with his directive to release billions in federal grants, marking the first time a judge has explicitly said that the Trump administration has disregarded a court order.

Judge John J. McConnell Jr, presiding in a Rhode Island federal court, asked officials to follow what he described as "the plain text" of his ruling from Jan 29. He added that the order was "clear and unambiguous, and there are no impediments to the Defendants’ compliance."

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Following Monday’s decision, Trump administration lawyers quickly appealed the judge’s ruling to the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, seeking a temporary hold on Judge McConnell’s order while the case proceeded.

“Each executive order will hold up in court because every action of the Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful. Any legal challenge against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the American people,” said White House spokesman Harrison Fields.

Vance, Musk call for defying court orders

These legal developments signal a potential escalation in tensions between the executive and judicial branches, coming just a day after Vice President JD Vance said on social media that "judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power."

Elon Musk, owner of X called for the impeachment of a judge who had temporarily prevented his DOGE from accessing sensitive financial data held by the Treasury Department. Musk also reposted a comment from another user urging Trump to disregard judicial rulings.

Over 40 lawsuits against Trump’s executive orders

More than 40 lawsuits have already been filed challenging Trump’s actions, which include revoking birthright citizenship and granting Musk’s teams access to classified Treasury Department payment systems. Preliminary rulings from judges suggest that these actions, along with the funding freeze and other executive orders, may violate existing laws.

On Monday, courts continued to challenge the administration’s authority, issuing temporary blocks on attempts to cut health research grants and initiatives aimed at pressuring federal employees to resign.

Previously, Judge McConnell had ordered the White House to release federal funds that had been withheld by the budget office. A memo from the office stipulated that the grants should be suspended until they were assessed for alignment with President Trump’s policy agenda.

The judge refrained from holding the Trump administration in contempt or imposing any specific penalties for noncompliance. However, he made it clear that his previous temporary restraining order from January 29 had not been followed.

“These pauses in funding violate the plain text of the TRO,” Judge McConnell said. His earlier ruling had explicitly barred the administration from halting, freezing, blocking, or terminating funds that had already been allocated by Congress to support Medicaid, school meals, low-income housing subsidies, and other critical services.

The judge further added that White House officials were required to comply with the directive, regardless of their expectations about the case’s outcome.

(With inputs from agencies)