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Judge Richard J. Leon (D.D.C.) on Thursday issued a preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from above-ground construction of the proposed White House ballroom. The order allows certain underground and security-related construction to continue but halts any steps that would lock in the ballroom’s size or scale. (Order.) (Memorandum Opinion.) (NYT.) (WaPo.) The Justice Department said they would appeal the ruling. (Notice of Appeal.) See a previous Roundup for background.
The Justice Department told Congress on Thursday it is appealing a March 17 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ruling that reportedly barred the FBI, CIA, and National Security Agency from using certain filtering tools to examine Americans’ communications collected under Section 702. (NYT.) For background on the classified opinion, see a previous Roundup.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said on Thursday that he plans to resign at the end of May. (NYT.)
A Minnesota prosecutor charged an ICE agent with two counts of second-degree assault for allegedly pointing a gun at motorists during the federal government’s immigration crackdown in the Minneapolis area earlier this year. (WSJ.)
President Trump is reportedly planning to nominate Cameron Hamilton as the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hamilton was ousted as acting leader of FEMA last May after publicly testifying that the agency should not be eliminated. (NYT.) (WaPo.)
President Trump said Thursday he would nominate Dr. Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (WSJ.)
The Transportation Department has agreed to release roughly $60 million in withheld funding for a subway construction project in New York City. (Notice.) (NYT.) For background on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s lawsuit over the suspended funding, see a previous Roundup.
House Republicans on Thursday narrowly rejected a Democratic effort to force a vote on ending U.S. military operations in Iran. Rep. Brian Mast, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, stated that the House could “have a very different vote count after 60 days” in an apparent warning that support could shift as a May 1 war powers deadline approaches. (NYT.)
The House on Thursday passed a bipartisan bill to reinstate temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants in a 224-204 vote. (WSJ.)
Ilya Somin argued that while the Trump administration’s tariff refund plan is an improvement over potential inaction, it remains slow and incomplete. (Volokh Conspiracy.)
Geoffrey S. Corn, Dick Jackson, Chris Jenks, and Michael W. Meier argued that a letter from international law experts alleging likely U.S. violations of the law of armed conflict in the current Middle East conflict relies on flawed methodology and insufficient operational context, rendering such conclusions premature. (Just Security.)
Pending Interim Order Applications Involving the U.S. Government in the Supreme Court
Blanche v. Perlmutter: The government filed an emergency application on October 27 requesting the Supreme Court to stay a district court interlocutory injunction that temporarily reinstated Shira Perlmutter to her role as Register of Copyrights while litigation over her removal continues. Chief Justice Roberts formally set a deadline of November 10 for a response to the application. Perlmutter submitted a response on November 10. Blanche submitted a reply on November 12. The Court deferred the application for stay on November 28 pending the Court’s decisions in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook.
Trump v. Cook: The government filed an emergency application on September 18 requesting the Supreme Court to stay a preliminary injunction issued by a district court that blocked President Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Cook filed an opposition to the request on the same day. The Chief Justice formally set a deadline of September 25 for a response to the application. Cook filed a response on September 25. On October 1, the Court deferred action on the stay application pending oral argument in January 2026 and established a supplemental briefing schedule. Additional amicus briefs were filed on October 29. Both sides filed supplemental briefs on November 19 and the Court heard oral argument on Jan. 21, 2026.
Mullin v. Doe: The government filed an application on February 26 requesting the Supreme Court stay pending appeal of a preliminary injunction issued by a district court preliminarily enjoining then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from terminating temporary protected status designation for Syria. The government asked the Court to construe the application as a petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment and grant the petition. On March 16, the Court consolidated the case with a challenge to the Department of Homeland Security’s termination of Temporary Protected Status designations for Haiti and granted certiorari before judgment of the consolidated cases while deferring action on the government’s request for a stay.
Trump v. Miot: The government filed an application on March 11 requesting the Supreme Court to stay a lower court order postponing then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s decision to terminate temporary protected status designation for Haiti. The government also asked the Court to treat the application as a petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment and grant the petition. On March 16, the Court consolidated the case with Mullin v. Doe.