US President Donald Trump on Tuesday lost the latest round of litigation over his administration's attempt to freeze federal spending after an appeals court refused to suspend a court order that obliges the government to continue to allocate funds. Reuters reports, UNN writes.
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The U.S. Department of Justice has asked the Boston-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to suspend a Rhode Island federal judge's ruling on Monday after it was found that the administration ignored his January 31 ruling by continuing to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding.
The US Department of Justice argues that US District Judge John McConnell committed an "impermissible abuse of judicial power" as Trump's authority to direct agencies to take actions that meet his political preferences has become "entrenched.
However, the three-judge appeals panel promptly stated that it was confident that McConnell would quickly clarify the issues raised by the administration, in particular that his order prohibits Trump from exercising his legal authority.
The decision was the first major legal challenge to the Trump administration since he returned to office on January 20. Nevertheless, the White House said it would continue to fight the case in court.
"These unlawful injunctions are a continuation of the use of justice as a weapon against President Trump," said White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt.
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Trump, key members of his administration, and billionaire ally Elon Musk have criticized judges who block important items on the president's agenda, in some cases arguing that judges do not have the authority to interfere with the president's powers.