Judge Uses 26 Exclamation Points to Strike Down Trump’s Terrible Order

The president’s attack on Big Law is so outrageous that it’s made at least one judge raise his voice, even on paper.

U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Richard Leon struck down Donald Trump’s executive order targeting law firm WilmerHale Tuesday, describing the entire directive as “unconstitutional.” In a 73-page opinion, Leon took the time to explain the principles of democracy to the president, illustrating how his political retribution campaign is quintessentially antithetical to the foundational principles of the U.S. government.

“The cornerstone of the American system of justice is an independent judiciary and an independent bar willing to tackle unpopular cases, however daunting. The Founding Fathers knew this!” Leon wrote. “Accordingly, they took pains to enshrine in the Constitution certain rights that would serve as the foundation for that independence. Little wonder that in the nearly 250 years since the Constitution was adopted no Executive Order has been issued challenging these fundamental rights.

“Now, however, several Executive Orders have been issued directly challenging these rights and that independence,” Leon continued. “One of these Orders is the subject of this case. For the reasons set forth below, I have concluded that this Order must be struck down in its entirety as unconstitutional. Indeed, to rule otherwise would be unfaithful to the judgment and vision of the Founding Fathers!”

It’s highly unusual for judges to use even one exclamation point in their rulings. Leon used a total of 26.

The decision blocks Trump’s March 27 order, which instructed federal agencies to throw out WilmerHale’s government contracts and nix the firm’s federal building access along with their security clearances. WilmerHale was just one of many law firms targeted by the Trump administration for representing individuals that Trump has categorized as his political enemies, or for refusing to represent him during his monumental legal struggles last year. WilmerHale’s supposed crime—per the White House—was the fact that it “rewarded” Robert Mueller by keeping him on payroll after he investigated Trump’s ties to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

But not every law firm was willing to ride out the wave of Trump’s encroaching federal directives. Several major law firms had caved to Trump by April, committing to provide the convicted felon with up to $600 million in “pro bono” legal services. But the original deal, as written, may not shake out for the famed deal-maker the way he’d hoped: Earlier this month, several firms argued that the capitulation had only stipulated “specified areas” that they needed to provide legal services for, effectively giving them free range to pick their own clients.

Trump adviser Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are giving ICE new ramped-up immigrant arrest quotas, demanding that the agency detain 3,000 people per day, sources told Axios. That number is three times the arrest rate at the beginning of Trump’s term.

According to people close to the situation, Miller, who is President Trump’s deputy chief of staff, lit into ICE officials in a meeting last week, addressing them so aggressively that some felt they were at risk of being fired if they didn’t meet the new quota. Noem spoke after Miller and apparently did less yelling but also called for more arrests.

Border crossings are down, ICE has nearly 50,000 people in custody, and thanks to Republicans’ budget bill, Trump will likely dedicate $147 billion over the next decade to continuing his wanton, draconian immigration policies—all while giving the finger to any judge who dares to mention basic constitutional principles like due process. And yet it still isn’t enough for Noem and Miller, who seem particularly invested in making this crackdown as horrifying as possible.

“Keeping President Trump’s promise to deport illegal aliens is something the administration takes seriously,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Axios. “We are committed to aggressively and efficiently removing illegal aliens from the United States, and ensuring our law enforcement officers have the resources necessary to do so. The safety of the American people depends upon it.”

Karoline Leavitt is trying to claim Donald Trump’s attacks on Harvard are justified because the U.S. needs more trade workers.

The White House press secretary made the wild defense to Sean Hannity on Fox News Tuesday night, telling the conservative pundit that Trump is more interested in giving Harvard’s government funding “to trade schools, and programs, and state schools where they are promoting American values, but most importantly, educating the next generation based on skills that we need in our economy and our society.

“Apprenticeships, electricians, plumbers—we need more of those in our country, and less LGBTQ graduate majors from Harvard University, and that’s what this administration’s position is,” Leavitt said.

It’s insane that Leavitt thinks that the grants and contracts Trump has yanked away from Harvard are going to “LGBTQ graduate majors.” In reality, Harvard is losing stuff like $1 billion for health research, which could save a lot of lives. The president also tried to stop Harvard from enrolling international students, only to be blocked by a federal judge.

On Tuesday, Trump announced on Truth Social that he was “considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land. What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!”

But what would such a program even look like? The all-encompassing budget bill Trump is pushing to get passed doesn’t contain any new programs in that vein. In fact, the bill will restrict access to financial aid for working-class students going into all fields, including trade schools.

Trump is attacking foreign student enrollment at Harvard (and everywhere else) by claiming that Americans can now get those slots. But how will more Americans be able to attend with less financial aid? Meanwhile, Trump is also trying to eliminate the Department of Education, which will further hurt lower-income students trying to attend any form of higher education. All of the administration’s talk about supporting American students is a smokescreen. In reality, Trump is trying to force universities like Harvard to bow to him and conservative America.

Wall Street is beginning to understand the president’s roller-coaster foreign trade decisions with the help of a trendy acronym: TACO—or “Trump Always Chickens Out.”

The TACO theory was coined earlier this month by Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong, adding a catchy name to the practice of loading up on stocks when Donald Trump first announces the tariffs and then selling when he ultimately backtracks on enforcing them.

In a Wednesday note obtained by Market Watch, Sevens Report Research founder Tom Essaye insisted that Trump does, in fact, always chicken out. So far, that’s been true for enacting additional tariffs on Mexico and Canada, postponing his “reciprocal” tariff plan on dozens of countries after his “Liberation Day” announcement went south, delaying a tariff on imports from the European Union, and smashing his plan to fine China, temporarily decreasing tariffs on Chinese products to 30 percent from 145 percent.

“So, the returns are somewhat conclusive: The TACO trade has worked and buying stocks on extreme tariff-related threats has worked,” Essaye wrote, noting that the known gambit’s growing popularity will translate to diminished returns.

But investors aren’t the only power players taking note of Trump’s transparent poker face. On Tuesday, Russian state propagandists mocked the U.S. president for lacking any follow through, predicting in a tweet that Trump’s “playing with fire” threat would be reversed by a social media post the following morning.

Trump’s tariff proposals haven’t won the U.S. too much negotiating ground. Instead, countries around the world began observing earlier this month that—rather than playing the waiting game to meet with the White House over potential trade relief—China’s tough negotiating strategy with the former real estate mogul had actually gotten the eastern powerhouse a significantly better deal.

The Trump administration is running out of time to secure what it had promised would be “90 deals in 90 days” on U.S. trade. In the end, Washington may be left holding the bag for Trump’s outsize tariff ideas as other countries gamble that the U.S. will be the first to feel the sting of Trump’s tariffs.

Nebraska Representative Mike Flood was booed relentlessly at his own town hall Tuesday as he admitted to a roomful of constituents that he had simply not read some parts of Trump’s big, beautiful budget bill.

“Can you please tell us why you voted to approve a budget bill that includes section 703-02, which effectively prohibits federal courts from enforcing contempt orders … which would then allow current and future administrations to ignore those contempt orders by removing the enforcement capabilities?” one attendee asked Flood.

The question is in reference to a deeply biased provision that the GOP slipped in the budget bill to protect President Trump from being held accountable by court orders. Additionally, anyone seeking to file an injunction or restraining order—two things the courts have already levied against the Trump administration numerous times—would be forced to put up a financial bond.

“I do not agree with that section that was added to that bill,” Flood responded, and was booed immediately.

“You voted for all of it!” someone shouted.

“I will tell you this. I believe in the rule of law.… I do believe that the federal district courts, when issuing an injunction, it should have legal effect. In fact I relied upon that when the Biden administration was in place,” Flood responded. Then he confessed: “This provision was unknown to me when I voted for the bill. I am not gonna hide the truth.… We must allow our federal courts to operate and issue injunctions.”

The crowd roared with hostility and disbelief toward their congressman as he admitted that he skipped over reading the entire bill before he voted for it.

Flood was also hit with questions on Medicaid. Trump previously claimed that the party wouldn’t touch it, before it was slashed in the budget bill.

“I was talking to the Nebraska Hospital Association almost every single day … to find out how this would affect Medicaid patients in Nebraska,” Flood continued. “I know that the bill is not perfect, but I believe that in crafting this bill, even a president that maybe most of you disagree with, strictly said … ‘Do not cut Medicaid.’” More jeers erupted. “That doesn’t mean we don’t address waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Trump’s budget bill is expected to leave 13.7 million people without health insurance by 2034, while giving tax cuts to the wealthiest. Flood went on to defend his support of renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, while chants of “You lie!” rained down on him.

This is yet another installment in the GOP’s string of nightmare town halls, as its constituents grow more and more frustrated with the actions of the man—and the party—that they voted for.