Former President Donald Trump’s administration was dealt two setbacks in court on Friday, both happening within just a few hours.
In Rhode Island, a federal judge blocked Trump’s January 20 executive order that said government money couldn’t go to groups that promote “gender ideology.
The order stated that the U.S. only recognizes two genders, male and female. Judge William Smith ruled that applying this order to artists and organizations funded by the National Endowment for the Arts would violate free speech protections under the First Amendment.
Meanwhile, in California, a panel of judges from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2–1 that the Trump administration must release documents about the mass firing of federal employees earlier this year.
These job cuts, carried out shortly after Trump’s second inauguration, were pushed by the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, which is led by Elon Musk. The lawsuit, brought by labor unions, nonprofits, and local governments, argues that Trump didn’t have the authority to make such sweeping cuts without Congress.
Judge Smith made it clear that the government cannot single out or punish groups for holding certain views about gender. In the California case, Judge William Fletcher wrote that the lower court acted appropriately in requiring the administration to hand over documents and that the government had no strong reason to keep them hidden.
Lawyers challenging the administration said these rulings show that Trump and Vice President Vance’s team cannot conceal major policy moves that affect millions of Americans.
The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately comment on the rulings. The administration can still try to appeal both decisions to higher courts, but legal battles are expected to continue slowing down Trump’s agenda.
