Despite the fact that Donald Trump has held the title of president of the United States for a mere two weeks, he’s already embroiled in more than 50 lawsuits—most of which have to do with his controversial policies and shaky relationship with civil rights. While he wouldn’t be the first president to face lawsuits early on in his tenure, the number compared to administrations before him is truly staggering. Bill Clinton had five lawsuits filed against him in the first two weeks of his presidency, as did Barack Obama. George W. Bush had four lawsuits on his plate two weeks into his first term. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has raked in 55 lawsuits and counting. Simple math shows us Trump currently faces 10 times the number of lawsuits our three previous presidents faced.
Starting on day one of his presidency, the lawsuits started pouring in and haven’t abated since. Of the 55 lawsuits filed against Trump so far, 40 concern his executive order banning refugees and predominantly Muslim immigrants from entering the country. According to NPR, some of the plaintiffs who filed travel ban lawsuits were held for hours at U.S. airports the weekend Trump signed the executive order, abruptly prohibiting their entry. Others were prevented from boarding U.S.-bound planes. When filing these cases, lawyers cited counts of discrimination as well as First, Fifth, and 14th Amendment violations, which means now might be a good time for Trump to brush up on the Constitution.
Civil rights attorneys and detainees aren’t the only ones fighting back against Trump’s travel ban. On February 3, U.S. District Judge James Robart from Washington state successfully moved to block enforcement of the order, prompting the Department of Homeland Security to immediately follow suit. Trump has been far from silent on the issue, posting a slew of tweets over the weekend criticizing those challenging his actions.
Legally contesting Trump’s travel ban proves federal courts—and, in turn, the people—do have the power to resist his agenda. As Republicans proved during the Obama administration, fighting Trump in court can be an effective way to wear him down, setting a precedent for future executive orders.
