Legal Actions

A coalition of attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia have sued the Trump administration for efforts taken to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, including the announcement of plans to lay off more than 1,300 Department of Education employees. Plaintiffs argue that the job cuts would prevent the Department of Education from performing core functions that are authorized by statute. They allege the mass layoffs would violate the separation of powers, the Take Care Clause, the Administrative Procedure Act, and other federal statutes. Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief.

Catholic Charities Fort Worth (CCFW) has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) challenging the pause of all federal grant funding. CCFW provides direct services to refugees and immigrants and relies upon federal grants from HHS to carry out its work. CCFW argued that the federal funding freeze violates the spending clause of the Constitution, as well as the Administrative Procedure Act. In a status report filed April 11, 2025 the plaintiff reported that they were able to draw down their requested funds. As a result, the plaintiff and defendants filed a joint stipulation for dismissal. This case was dismissed without prejudice on April 29, 2025.

Chicago Women in Trades, a non-profit supporting women working in skilled trades, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging his anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) executive orders. On January 20 and 21, 2025, Trump issued two executive orders titled "Ending Radical Government DEI Programs and Preferencing" and "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” which attempt to dismantle DEI programs in the government and defund grants awarded to entities promoting DEI, respectively. The plaintiff, a recipient of federal grants, argues that the executive orders violate the First Amendment and Fifth Amendment.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Alliance for Retired Americans, and the American Federation of Teachers have sued to halt the sharing of Social Security Administration (SSA) databases and payment systems with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The plaintiffs represent American workers and retirees that have entrusted their highly sensitive personal and financial information, including Social Security Numbers, employment information, and medical history, to the Social Security Administration. The plaintiffs in this case argue that the SSA sharing their private information with DOGE violates the Privacy Act by failing to ask for the plaintiffs' consent before sharing their information with another person or agency. The plaintiffs request that the court find the DOGE data sharing unlawful and prevent further information from being shared with DOGE.

The plaintiffs in this case are a diverse coalition of non-profits dedicated to providing direct services for the LGBTQ+ community and those living with HIV/AIDS. The plaintiffs have filed suit against the Trump administration challenging three executive orders that terminate federal grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and forbid federally-funded organizations from operating DEI programs. In the first month of his term, President Trump issued three executive orders: EO 14151, EO 14168, and EO 14173, which eliminate DEI programs throughout the federal government, remove legal recognition for transgender people, and order the removal of DEI programs in all institutions that receive federal funding, respectively. The plaintiffs rely upon federal funding in the form of grants and contracts in order to carry out their mission-driven work, and have had their funding terminated under these executive orders. The plaintiffs argued that Executive Orders 14151, 14168, and 14173 violate their First Amendment right to freedom of speech and Fifth Amendment rights to due process and equality under the law. The plaintiffs requested that the court declare executive orders 14151, 14168, and 14173 unconstitutional and issue a permanent injunction preventing the orders from being enforced.

The Associated Press (AP) has filed suit against the White House Chief of Staff and White House Press Secretary for barring AP journalists from the White House and Presidential events due to AP's refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico, the "Gulf of America." The AP argues that by preventing it from attending press events over this disagreement in naming convention, the defendants have violated AP's First Amendment right to freedom of speech as well as their Fifth Amendment right to due process. AP requested that the court order the defendants to restore AP's access to events and spaces made open to all credentialed White House journalists.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the Association of Administrative Law Judges (AALJ), and individual government employees have filed a class action lawsuit against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for sharing personnel databases containing government employees' highly sensitive personal and financial information with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The AFGE and AALJ are labor unions representing government employees and judges that adjudicate at the Social Security Administration, respectively. The individual plaintiffs as well as members of the AFGE and AALJ have entrusted the OPM with their highly sensitive personal information, including Social Security Numbers, home addresses, and disability and health information. The plaintiffs argue that OPM violated the Privacy Act by failing to ask for their consent before sharing their information with another person or agency. The plaintiffs requested that the court find the DOGE data sharing unlawful and prevent further information from being shared with DOGE.

Fair housing organizations have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration for unlawfully withholding grant funds from the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP). The plaintiffs are seeking class certification for fair housing organizations affected by HUD's refusal to administer multi-year Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) awards. They argue that HUD's actions are in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and due process rights. They also argue that the administration's conduct is arbitrary and capricious.