Courts hammer Trump

The Trump administration had an exceptionally bad day in court today, with a string of losses on multiple issues.

• Trump's still-ongoing torrent of executive orders has taken a ton of hits in the courts. Today's was perhaps the most concentrated blow yet, Axios court watcher Sam Baker reports.
• Today alone, federal judges ruled against the White House on four major policy initiatives.

1️⃣ Voting: A federal judge in Washington blocked enforcement of a Trump executive order requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

2️⃣ Immigration: Trump cannot proceed with his plan to deny federal funding to "sanctuary" cities, a judge in California ruled.

3️⃣ Deportation: Judge Stephanie Gallagher — a Trump appointee — ruled against the administration in a case that's remarkably similar to the high-profile battle involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

• Gallagher's case involves a man known as Cristian, who was living in Maryland. He and Abrego Garcia were deported to El Salvador on the same day.
• Cristian's deportation violated a pre-existing court order, Gallagher said. She told the administration to facilitate his return, and noted the games the White House has played over the meaning of "facilitate" in Abrego Garcia's case.
• "Standing by and taking no action is not facilitation," she wrote.

4️⃣ Education: A judge blocked Trump's plan to cut funding for K-12 schools with diversity programs, calling it overly vague and a violation of teachers' First Amendment rights.

• A second court agreed to push back the deadline for schools to comply with new anti-DEI directives.

🔮 What we're watching: Also today, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to let it enforce a ban on trans people serving in the military.

• The court granted a nearly identical request, over a nearly identical policy, in Trump's first term.

🥊 The bottom line: Less than 100 days in, the courts are already the central battleground of Trump 2.0.