Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, became the latest senior official to openly criticise a judge as the Trump administration ramped up its attacks on court challenges to its political agenda.
On Saturday, Hegseth mocked US district judge Ana Reyes for blocking a ban on transgender troops in the US military. The ban was enforced by an executive order signed by Donald Trump on 27 January.
Hegseth referred to the judge as “Commander Reyes” in a social media post and suggested she had no authority to make decisions about warfare – though the judge made no such decision, only about its treatment of its personnel.
Reyes was appointed by the Democratic former president Joe Biden and is the latest judge to be publicly attacked by a Trump administration official
White House cheers as major law firm attacked by Trump capitulates
The Trump administration has also been battling with one of the largest law firms in the country: Paul, Wiess. Trumps’s advisers have reveled in their ability to bully the firm after its chair criticized a former partner as he tried to appease the US president into rescinding an executive order that threatened the firm’s ability to function. The firm also agreed to provide $40m in free legal services over the next four years to causes Trump has championed, and agreed to an audit of its employment procedures to wipe away any diversity, equity and inclusion recruiting initiatives. The Trump administration has threatened new actions against lawyers and law firms that bring immigration lawsuits and other cases against the government that he deems unethical. It is facing more than 100 lawsuits.
20% of Americans support boycott of firms aligning themselves with Trump’s agenda
One in five Americans plan to turn their backs for good on companies that have shifted their policies to align with Trump’s agenda, according to a new poll for the Guardian. As high-profile brands including Amazon, Target and Tesla grapple with economic boycotts, research by the Harris Poll indicated the backlash could have a lasting impact.
Trump revokes security clearances for Biden, Harris and other political enemies
Trump moved to revoke security clearances for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and a string of other top Democrats and political enemies in a presidential memo issued late on Friday. The revocations also cover the former secretary of state Antony Blinken, the former Wyoming representative Liz Cheney, the former Illinois representative Adam Kinzinger and the New York attorney general, Letitia James, who prosecuted Trump for fraud, as well as Biden’s entire family. They all will no longer have access to classified information – a courtesy typically offered to former presidents and some officials after they have left public service.
