Trump-backed bill to rein in federal judges gets House-wide vote

The House of Representatives is expected to vote Tuesday on a bill to limit federal district court judges’ ability to block President Donald Trump’s agenda on a national scale.

The No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA) was introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., earlier this year and quickly became a priority for House GOP leaders after Trump made clear he supported the bill.

House Republicans see it as a way to fight back against “rogue” judges blocking Trump’s agenda. 

The Trump administration has faced more than 15 nationwide injunctions since the Republican commander in chief took office, targeting a wide range of Trump policies from birthright citizenship reform to anti-diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

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President Donald Trump, left, and Judge James Boasberg. (Getty Images)

Issa’s bill would limit district judges – of which there are more than 670 – from issuing rulings with nationwide effect. Instead, they would be forced to tailor those rulings to the specific parties named in the lawsuit.

It has broad support from House Republicans and the backing of GOP leadership.

However, Issa told Fox News Digital that he was skeptical it would get any Democratic support.

“Sadly, I’m not sure that it will. It obviously should,” Issa said last week. “The administration can win 15 times, and they lose once—they get an injunction. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.”

Rep. Darrell Issa attends the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Issa pointed out that district judges overstepping was not just a Republican complaint.

“I mean, we could have called [President Joe Biden’s] former solicitor general and ask, have you changed your opinion in less than a year? Of course, the answer would be no,” he said.

Former Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued in a December filing to the Supreme Court, regarding a district judge barring the Biden administration from enforcing a financial crimes law, “Universal injunctions exert substantial pressure on this court’s emergency docket, and they visit substantial disruption on the execution of the laws.”

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House Speaker Mike Johnson holds the gavel after being re-elected House speaker during the first session of the 119th Congress. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The legislation advanced through the House Rules Committee on Monday night with no Democratic support.

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It was expected to get a vote last week, but an unrelated fight about remote voting for new parents derailed House proceedings and sent lawmakers home less than 24 hours after they had returned to Washington for the week. That matter has since been resolved.

A procedural vote is expected on Tuesday at about 1:30 p.m. ET. If it passes, as expected, lawmakers will debate and vote on the final bill later in the day.

It must pass the Senate – where it would need at least some Democratic support to reach its 60-vote threshold – before heading to Trump’s desk for a signature.