Chairman Jordan Calls for Combating the Abuse of Nationwide Injunctions through the Appropriations Process
April 1, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee requesting it include language in upcoming funding bills that would limit the ability of rogue judges to misuse nationwide injunctions and ensure federal resources are used appropriately.
Read excerpts of the letter:
"Since President Trump's inauguration, we have seen a dangerous trend of district court judges issuing nationwide injunctions that disrupt the implementation of federal policies. These sweeping rulings, often handed down by a single judge, threaten the constitutional balance of power by overriding the popular will of the American people as embodied in Congress and the President. The Committee on the Judiciary has developed legislative reforms within our jurisdiction to address this misuse of judicial authority and to restore balance between the branches of the federal government. The Committee on Appropriations is likewise charged with an important Constitutional check: Congress's power of the purse. As you develop appropriations for the federal judiciary, we respectfully urge you to consider appropriate language that would enhance judicial restraint and reaffirm democratic principles.
"The rise of nationwide injunctions is a relatively new and troubling departure from the traditionally restrained scope of judicial authority. When a single district court judge halts a law or policy across the entire country—especially when done as a temporary restraining order without any fact-finding—it can undermine the federal policymaking process and erode the ability of popularly elected officials to serve their constituents. This practice concentrates immense power in the hands of individual judges, often far exceeding the geographic and legal bounds of their jurisdiction. For example, a lone activist judge in San Francisco, California, enjoined the termination of probationary federal employees, obstructing the President's policy of reducing the size of the federal bureaucracy to make it more efficient and responsive to Americans.
"The abuse of nationwide injunctive authority in the first 60 days of President Trump's term call for a comprehensive response from Congress. We respectfully urge the Appropriations Committee to consider including language in the upcoming funding bills to address the abusive use of nationwide injunctions while also ensuring the federal judiciary can continue to operate effectively and responsibly with respect to its growing civil and criminal dockets. In particular, we urge you to consider language prohibiting the use of taxpayer dollars and federal resources to issue or enforce these overbroad injunctions beyond the specific parties in front of an issuing court in a particular case. Additionally, we ask that you consider including language to limit appropriated funds related to the issuance and enforcement of nationwide injunctions, including using court resources to compel compliance, impose fines, or conduct contempt proceedings related to such injunctions. These steps would reinforce the proper limits of judicial power and ensure that taxpayer resources support a judiciary that respects its constitutional role."
Read the full letter here.
Read excerpts of the letter:
"Since President Trump's inauguration, we have seen a dangerous trend of district court judges issuing nationwide injunctions that disrupt the implementation of federal policies. These sweeping rulings, often handed down by a single judge, threaten the constitutional balance of power by overriding the popular will of the American people as embodied in Congress and the President. The Committee on the Judiciary has developed legislative reforms within our jurisdiction to address this misuse of judicial authority and to restore balance between the branches of the federal government. The Committee on Appropriations is likewise charged with an important Constitutional check: Congress's power of the purse. As you develop appropriations for the federal judiciary, we respectfully urge you to consider appropriate language that would enhance judicial restraint and reaffirm democratic principles.
"The rise of nationwide injunctions is a relatively new and troubling departure from the traditionally restrained scope of judicial authority. When a single district court judge halts a law or policy across the entire country—especially when done as a temporary restraining order without any fact-finding—it can undermine the federal policymaking process and erode the ability of popularly elected officials to serve their constituents. This practice concentrates immense power in the hands of individual judges, often far exceeding the geographic and legal bounds of their jurisdiction. For example, a lone activist judge in San Francisco, California, enjoined the termination of probationary federal employees, obstructing the President's policy of reducing the size of the federal bureaucracy to make it more efficient and responsive to Americans.
"The abuse of nationwide injunctive authority in the first 60 days of President Trump's term call for a comprehensive response from Congress. We respectfully urge the Appropriations Committee to consider including language in the upcoming funding bills to address the abusive use of nationwide injunctions while also ensuring the federal judiciary can continue to operate effectively and responsibly with respect to its growing civil and criminal dockets. In particular, we urge you to consider language prohibiting the use of taxpayer dollars and federal resources to issue or enforce these overbroad injunctions beyond the specific parties in front of an issuing court in a particular case. Additionally, we ask that you consider including language to limit appropriated funds related to the issuance and enforcement of nationwide injunctions, including using court resources to compel compliance, impose fines, or conduct contempt proceedings related to such injunctions. These steps would reinforce the proper limits of judicial power and ensure that taxpayer resources support a judiciary that respects its constitutional role."
Read the full letter here.
###