Three federal judges delivered significant blows to President Donald Trump in a span of 90 minutes, issuing rulings that challenged controversial actions taken during the early days of his second term. In Washington, DC, Judge Loren AliKhan issued a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from freezing federal grants and loans indefinitely, expanding on a previous block issued by a Biden appointee. AliKhan criticized Trump’s spending freeze as “irrational” and likely unlawful, highlighting the ongoing legal battles over federal funding suspensions.

Simultaneously, Judge Amir Ali in DC ordered the Trump administration to pay foreign aid-related funds owed to government contractors and nonprofits, emphasizing compliance with earlier court orders. In Washington state, Judge Jamal Whitehead issued a preliminary injunction halting Trump’s executive order suspending refugee admissions and funding, deeming it an overreach of presidential authority that undermines congressional intent. Whitehead emphasized that while the president has the discretion to suspend refugee admissions, this authority is not unlimited.

Trump’s executive order, signed on his first day back in office, faces scrutiny for directing a refugee program review and linking resettlement to the “national interest,” a move criticized as a de facto refugee ban. These legal setbacks underscore the pivotal role courts play in challenging and shaping the actions of the executive branch, particularly in contentious political environments.