Democrats set to ‘waste millions’ litigating President Donald Trump’s executive orders, University of California, Berkeley, law professor John Yoo says
Democrats are gearing up to battle President Donald Trump’s executive orders and actions in court, but according to University of California, Berkeley law professor John Yoo, they are likely to “waste millions” of dollars with little success. Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, believes that Trump will have some of the nation’s finest attorneys defending his initiatives, making it tough for Democrats to prevail in court.
Yoo predicts that Trump will ultimately succeed in two-thirds or more of his executive orders, but the Democrats may manage to delay them for about a year. Since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, his administration has faced at least 54 lawsuits in response to his executive orders, including 26 signed on his first day in office. These orders are part of Trump’s efforts to align the federal government with his “America First” policies, which include cutting government overspending and mismanagement through the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), banning biological men from competing in women’s sports, and deporting thousands of illegal immigrants who entered the country during the Biden administration.
Democratic elected officials have been vocal about their opposition to Trump’s policies, with some vowing to resist his agenda through legal means. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated that they would fight Trump legislatively, in the courts, and on the streets. New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy also emphasized the importance of legal action in challenging Trump’s policies. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, made it clear that Democrats would not back down in their fight against Trump’s initiatives.
The onslaught of lawsuits against Trump comes after the former president faced four criminal indictments in the period between his first and second administrations. Trump had criticized these cases as examples of the Democratic Party engaging in “lawfare” to undermine his re-election prospects in 2024. However, Yoo believes that the current legal challenges against Trump are different from lawfare, as they are focused on stopping his official policies rather than targeting him personally.
Yoo noted that both parties have used the courts to challenge policies from previous administrations, citing examples like Republicans contesting President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He expects that Democrats will spend millions on the current lawsuits against Trump, leading to delays in implementing his policies but not completely thwarting them.
Despite some federal judges issuing preliminary injunctions against Trump’s executive orders, the White House remains confident that they will be vindicated in court. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that the administration believes the injunctions have no legal basis and that they will ultimately prevail. She highlighted the administration’s view that the court system has been weaponized against Trump and expressed optimism that he will be able to continue implementing his agenda.
In conclusion, the legal battles between Democrats and President Trump are expected to intensify, with millions of dollars at stake and significant delays in policy implementation. The outcome of these lawsuits remains uncertain, but both sides are gearing up for a protracted legal fight in the coming months.
