House votes to limit judges’ power to rein in Trump

Republicans in the House passed a bill pruning back the only federal division capable of reining in President Donald Trump.

By a vote of 219-213, the GOP passed the "No Rogue Rulings Act" to limit judges’ ability to issue the kind of nationwide injunctions that have arguably kept the White House from consolidating government power through executive actions. The bill restricts judges’ decisions to apply only to the original plaintiffs that brought the suits.

Mike Turner (R-Ohio) was the lone Republican joining all Democrats in opposing the bill, but the bill will likely stall in the Senate, which Democrats can still block with a filibuster and a slimmer GOP majority.

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NBC News reports that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg is the most likely seat of Republicans' ire, having paused Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport migrants accused (sometimes incorrectly) of gang activity.

The U.S. Supreme Court, which is stacked with Trump and Republican appointees, has been working hard to reverse many district judge decisions, including Boasberg’s decision blocking the removal of alleged gang members to El Salvador and California U.S. District Judge William Alsup’s decision requiring some federal agencies to reinstate more than 15,000 fired federal workers.

Still, House members are acting to remove the inconvenience of having to reverse district court decisions from SCOTUS’ table altogether.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) slammed the bill before NBC News reporters, arguing that applying proper decisions to all U.S. citizens is the essence of good law.

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"[A] nationwide injunction is a necessary part of the judicial tool kit," said Raskin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. "Why should every person affected [by an issue] have to go to court? Why should millions of people have to create their own case? … Why should Brown vs. Board of Education have applied to just Linda Brown as opposed to everybody affected?"

Read the original NBC News story here.