In yet another dramatic clash between the executive and judicial branches, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has blocked the Trump administration’s plan to terminate hundreds of employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the agency originally created under Elizabeth Warren’s influence during the Obama era.
Judge Jackson’s order not only halts the dismissals but also prohibits administration officials from accessing CFPB’s computer systems, pending an April 28 hearing on the merits of a lawsuit aimed at preserving the agency.
Jackson, known for controversial rulings against Trump-era initiatives, expressed concern that the administration was defying her previous injunction meant to maintain the status quo at the agency until the case is resolved.
Critics have slammed the decision as another instance of judicial overreach, accusing the judge of legislating from the bench and obstructing the president’s constitutional authority to manage the executive branch. The ruling intensifies long-standing tensions over the CFPB, a regulatory body created through the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010 and widely criticized by conservatives for its sweeping power and lack of oversight.
This is not the first time Judge Jackson has intervened. She previously issued a temporary block on dismantling the CFPB and ordered the preservation of all internal records and data.
Trump allies argue the move to restructure and remove entrenched bureaucrats is essential to restoring accountability and reining in what they see as a rogue agency.
With another legal showdown scheduled later this month, the fate of the CFPB—and Trump’s broader effort to rein in the administrative state—hangs in the balance.