How Donald Trump is pushing the Supreme Court to weaken federal judges

(Reuters) – Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office last year, he and his allies have derided federal judges who ruled against his policies as “rogue,” “crooked,” “lunatic” and more, casting their actions not only as incorrect but illegitimate as well.

Beyond the Republican president’s vitriol in speeches and social media posts, his administration has launched a more systematic effort at the U.S. Supreme Court to diminish the power of the federal judiciary, a Reuters analysis shows.

The administration in the past year has raced to the Supreme Court with dozens of emergency requests to green-light policies impeded by lower-court judges who questioned their legality.

The administration includes in its written filings multiple legal arguments, but to a remarkable degree it has used these requests to question the very authority of the judges whose decisions are being challenged.

Of the 31 emergency requests Trump’s Justice Department has filed at the Supreme Court since February 2025, nearly all – 97% – claim the judge is improperly interfering with the president’s power under the U.S. Constitution and various laws, according to the analysis.

By contrast, in the 19 emergency requests filed by Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden’s administration over four years, just 26% suggested judicial interference with presidential authority.

The Trump administration’s approach reflects a concerted effort to diminish the power of judges to restrain the president and his agenda,