President Donald Trump signed a memo on Thursday requesting federal judges impose financial penalties on “activist groups” who file “meritless” lawsuits against the government.
The administration fact sheet for the memo “President Donald J. Trump Ensures the Enforcement of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(C)” requires financial guarantees from plaintiffs requesting preliminary injections and temporary restraining orders “where the government can demonstrate monetary harm from the requested relief.”
‘Activist groups file meritless suits for fundraising and political gain.’
“This ensures coverage of potential costs or losses if the court later deems an injunction wrongly issued,” it stated.
Trump requested that “federal courts require plaintiffs post security equal to the federal government’s potential costs and damages from a wrongly issued preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order.”
The memo aims to deter judicial overreach and frivolous complaints.
The fact sheet noted that injunctions “cost taxpayers millions or even billions of dollars.”
The Trump administration accused “activist,” “unelected district judges” of granting “sweeping injunctions beyond their authority.”
“Activist groups file meritless suits for fundraising and political gain, facing no consequences when they lose, while taxpayers bear the costs and delays,” the fact sheet read. “The Justice Department is forced to divert resources from public safety to fight these frivolous cases, weakening effective governance.”
Trump’s memo does not require federal judges to impose the financial guarantees.
It added, “Enforcing Rule 65(c) deters such litigation by holding plaintiffs accountable for costs and damages if their injunctions are baseless, protecting taxpayer funds and judicial integrity.”
After less than two months in office, the Trump administration is already facing more than 100 lawsuits from legal groups, labor unions, and other plaintiffs challenging several of the president’s executive actions. Over 20 of the cases challenge actions taken by the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, and another 20 relate to changes in federal funding, hiring, and structure of agencies, ABC News reported.
Mark Zaid, a Washington-based lawyer who filed a case against the Trump administration last month, told CNN that the president’s memo is “a very bold move that violates norms.”
“This is going to be thrown open to the courts,” Zaid said, noting the action could be “incredibly powerful for the Trump administration.”
He claimed that the administration “will exploit any existing loophole or opportunity to make things difficult for anyone challenging it.”
“In this case, they actually have identified something that on its face looks to be a utility to rely upon,” Zaid added.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
News, Donald trump, Trump, Courts, Politics
