1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

**Congress Must Check Executive Branch Defiance of Court Orders** Congress needs to act immediately to address the Trump administration's refusal to comply with federal court orders. An Associated Press investigation published this month found that Trump officials have violated court orders in at least 31 lawsuits since February 2025. This represents an unprecedented assault on judicial authority that threatens the separation of powers. Federal judges across the country have raised alarms about this pattern of noncompliance, which spans immigration practices and deportation cases but extends to a broad range of other issues like mass layoffs, spending cuts, and withholding congressionally appropriated funds. When the executive branch simply ignores court rulings it dislikes, it undermines the entire system of checks and balances that protects Americans from government overreach. Congress has constitutional tools to respond to this crisis. You can hold hearings to expose the scope of this defiance, subpoena administration officials to explain their actions, and use appropriations power to defund offices that refuse to follow court orders. You can also pass legislation imposing penalties on officials who knowingly violate judicial rulings. The judiciary cannot enforce its own orders. That makes Congress the last line of defense when an administration decides it is above the law. I expect you to use every available tool to restore respect for judicial authority.