“He who saves his country, does not violate any law,” proclaimed Donald Trump in a quote from Napoleon early into his second term. As a rule of thumb, America’s 47th president presents almost all his actions, legal or otherwise, as designed to save the US. That includes foreign wars. When asked whether there was any limit to what he could do overseas, Trump replied: “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
Trump is probably right about that. The US judiciary has traditionally shown forbearance to any executive action with the words “national security” before it. The same cannot be said of the home front. Although Trump has assaulted one guardrail after another — and destroyed longstanding norms — the US courts have thrown plenty of grit into his wheels.
In addition to upholding the 2020 presidential election through more than 60 rulings, including by Trump-appointed judges, courts have since January 2025 blocked or tried to block hundreds of White House executive orders. Trump has been stopped by judges from deploying the National Guard to several states, including California, Oregon and Illinois. This has slowed ICE’s — Immigration Customs and Enforcement — round-up of undocumented migrants. National Guardsmen are still on the streets of Washington DC, which is not a state and has less legal autonomy.
