Trump lashes out at judges on tariffs, blames Federalist Society for bad legal advice
President Donald Trump attacked the judges who blocked his tariffs, a ruling later temporarily paused on appeal, and blamed the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group for giving him bad advice during his first term on judicial picks.
In a lengthy social media post May 29, part of a pattern of Trump lashing out at a judiciary that has ruled against major pieces of his second-term agenda, the president directed his ire at the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade. The panel is the same one that invalidated his use of an emergency-powers law to implement tariffs.
“Where do these initial three Judges come from?” Trump asked. “How is it possible for them to have potentially done such damage to the United States of America?”
Trump and his allies have led an intense pressure campaign on the judiciary for blocking some of his unprecedented and aggressive uses of executive power. Trump routinely slams judges on social media and has threatened their impeachment.
Trump singles out Leonard Leo over judicial nomination advice
This time Trump also is turning his anger toward a pillar of the conservative legal establishment. He singled out the Federalist Society, which during Trump's first term advised him on judicial nominations, including eventual Supreme Court picks Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
“I was new to Washington, and it was suggested that I use The Federalist Society as a recommending source on judges,” Trump said. “I did so, openly and freely.”
Trump then criticized Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society's former executive vice president and current co-chairman of the board, calling him a “bad person.” The group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous judicial nominations,” Trump wrote.
Trump turned to a close ally for one of his latest judicial picks, nominating Justice Department official Emil Bove, his former personal attorney.
(This story has been updated with more information.)