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Some Republican lawmakers are now publicly calling on President Donald Trump to respect federal court rulings that have blocked his executive actions.
Some shit you should know before you read: Since day one of Trump’s presidency, he has signed an unprecedented number of executive orders, which have led to lawsuits that have resulted in some federal judges blocking his executive orders. Recently, courts halted his orders to freeze federal grants and loans, dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and ban birthright citizenship. Judges have also blocked his directive to send trans individuals to men’s prisons and his attempt to give federal workers more than seven months of severance pay if they resigned immediately. These rulings have sparked legal battles, with the administration appealing many of the decisions while arguing that the executive branch has the authority to carry out such reforms.

What’s going on now: Recently, Vice President JD Vance took to social media to argue that judges do not have the authority to control the executive branch’s “legitimate power.“ His comments sparked backlash from a wide range of lawmakers, including some Republicans, who stressed the importance of respecting the judiciary’s role in the constitutional system. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was among the first to push back, stating, “The White House should comply with court rulings. The Congress should comply. We have a judicial system… If you don’t like the ruling, you can appeal the ruling.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), also stressed the judiciary’s role as a check on executive power, saying, “The courts obviously are the sort of branch of our government that calls balls and strikes and referees, and I think that they’ve got an important role to play.”
This all comes as Democrats are warning that Trump could ultimately defy court orders, creating a constitutional crisis if a judge attempts to hold him or his administration in contempt. Some legal experts and lawmakers have raised concerns over whether such an order would even be enforceable, as the US Marshals, who would typically carry out a judge’s contempt ruling, operate under the Department of Justice—an executive branch agency controlled by Trump’s administration. Despite these concerns, the White House and Trump himself have repeatedly stated that they will comply with court orders, with the president saying, “The answer is I always abide by the courts, always abide by them. And we’ll appeal.”