Fox News host Jessica Tarlov summed up growing frustration in a post on X: “The courts are doing their best, but it would be nice if we had an administration that isn’t dead set on breaking the law for their own power grab.”
Her comment followed a federal judge’s decision on May 23 to grant Harvard University a restraining order, blocking the Trump administration from terminating its foreign student population.
The move came after the administration had reportedly pressured the school over its high percentage of international students.
Trump Demands Foreign Student List
President Donald Trump made headlines on May 26 when he spoke to reporters at Morristown Airport, demanding that Harvard hand over a list of its international students.
“We want a list of those foreign students, and we’ll find out whether or not they’re okay,” Trump said, arguing that American students were being pushed out.
Critics quickly pushed back, pointing out that the government already has this information through the F-1 visa system.
Under U.S. immigration law, all international students are registered and monitored by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“The Constitution applies to all persons,” immigration attorney Joshua Bardavid told The New York Times.
“Even people who are undocumented have basic and constitutional due process rights.”
Despite this, student visa crackdowns have escalated.
Cases include a Fulbright scholar from India fleeing to Canada after losing her visa, and a Turkish graduate student detained at Tufts University.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also ordered diplomats to screen applicants’ social media for anti-U.S. or anti-Israel posts. Over 300 visas have reportedly been revoked so far.
Fanta Aw, CEO of international education group NAFSA, said, “They’re terrified. They’re unsettled. Some of them are asking themselves, ‘Should I remain here, knowing there is so much uncertainty, or is it best that I just go home?’”
Court Blocks Trump Tariffs
The same week, the U.S. Court of International Trade dealt a major blow to Trump’s economic agenda by blocking sweeping new tariffs.
The court ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority by using emergency powers to justify broad tariffs on nearly all imports.
“Executive overreach may finally have found its ceiling,” said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.
“The Oval Office isn’t a trading desk, and the Constitution isn’t a blank cheque.”
The court emphasized that only Congress can set tariffs, invalidating duties on goods from countries like China, Mexico, and Canada.
Some tariffs, including those on steel and autos, remain because they were imposed under a different law.
The White House said it will appeal. Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai said, “It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency.”
Meanwhile, critics argue the blocked tariffs would have acted as a massive tax hike on American families and businesses.
“These tariffs would have resulted in more inflation, economic damage to businesses of all sizes, and job losses across the country,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Markets reacted positively to the ruling, with U.S. stock futures and global markets both gaining.
While the legal fights continue, both court rulings highlight clear boundaries for presidential authority.
One blocked the Trump administration from targeting foreign students at Harvard, and the other shut down a sweeping attempt to impose tariffs without congressional approval.
As Jessica Tarlov put it, the courts are stepping up, but the administration seems determined to keep pushing the boundaries of what the law allows.