Trump Suffers Major Court Losses on Immigration and Jan. 6

President Donald Trump faced a series of legal setbacks across multiple federal courts during the final week of March and the first few days of April 2026. Rulings issued by various judges challenged the administration’s authority on issues ranging from immigration and January 6 liability to the construction of a White House ballroom and federal funding for public broadcasting.

The legal losses culminated in a period of intense judicial scrutiny. On April 5, 2026, the Los Angeles Times reported that federal judges had determined the Trump administration overreached and lacked the authority to execute several of its goals. In response to these rulings, President Trump posted on Truth Social on April 1, 2026, stating, Dumb Judges and Justices will not a great Country make!

January 6 Liability and Presidential Immunity

One of the most significant rulings occurred on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, when U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta rejected President Trump’s claim of presidential immunity regarding his actions surrounding the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Judge Mehta ruled that the president acted as an office-seeker rather than an incumbent president acting in his official capacity during the events.

The court decided that Trump’s communications with other officials and his speech to supporters at the Ellipse were considered campaign activity. This ruling allows a lawsuit brought by Democratic politicians and police officers to proceed and potentially opens the door for additional similar lawsuits.

Immigration and Birthright Citizenship

The administration also faced challenges to its immigration policies, which serve as a keystone of Trump’s platform. On April 1, 2026, a federal judge in California took a step that would permit a class-action lawsuit against the administration’s management of specific asylum claims.

President Trump attended oral arguments at the Supreme Court, making him the first sitting president to do so. The proceedings focused on his bid to end birthright citizenship, a plan that the Supreme Court greeted coolly on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

White House Ballroom and Federal Funding

On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon issued a temporary block on the construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House. The ruling followed a lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argued that the president exceeded his authority by demolishing the East Wing to facilitate the project.

In a separate ruling on the same day, U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss permanently blocked an executive order signed in May 2025 that sought to stop federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Judge Moss cited First Amendment protections against viewpoint discrimination and retaliation.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded to the ruling by calling it ridiculous and claiming that NPR and PBS have no right to receive taxpayer funds, asserting that Congress had already voted to defund the organizations.

Department of Health and Human Services Dispute

The administration also suffered a setback regarding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly declined a request to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that the agency broke the law by closing its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) offices.

The FOIA offices were shut down in April 2025 as part of a larger reduction of 10,000 jobs at HHS. The lawsuit challenging these cuts was filed by the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

These legal developments occurred as President Trump’s approval ratings declined, influenced by his immigration crackdown and his war on Iran, the latter of which he addressed in a prime-time White House speech on April 1, 2026.