Trump's Legal Confrontation with Judiciary: Overreach or Justice?

The Trump administration is intensifying its clash with the U.S. judiciary over decisions that have impeded its agenda by filing a lawsuit with an extraordinary list of defendants: the judges themselves. The Justice Department, in its late Tuesday filing, targeted the U.S. District Court for Maryland and all 15 of its judges regarding an order last month pausing deportations for two days when migrants file lawsuits challenging their detention.

The lawsuit, submitted in Baltimore, contends that the standing order violates Supreme Court precedent regarding the issuance of injunctions. It claims that, according to the Immigration and Nationality Act, the courts do not have the authority to interfere with deportation procedures. The Justice Department seeks a ruling to declare the order unlawful and an injunction to prevent the judges from enforcing it. A spokesperson for the Maryland court has opted not to comment.

The contentious order was signed by Chief U.S. District Judge George Russell, appointed by a Democratic president. It followed considerable litigation over the Trump administration's actions, including the controversial deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador despite a favorable immigration court ruling. The Justice Department labeled the order as an egregious instance of judicial overreach, which they claim hampers Trump's immigration policy with unprecedented national injunctions.

(With inputs from agencies.)