Utah Sen. Mike Lee introduces bill to stop district court judges from ‘usurping’ Pres. Trump

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced a bill that would stop district court judges from “usurping the role of the Chief Executive from President Donald Trump.”

The bill — titled the “Reinstating Judicial Insurrectionists Act of 2025” — was introduced on March 24. If passed, it would establish a panel of three judges to review injunctions or declaratory relief against the President.

“America’s government cannot function if the legitimate orders of our Commander in Chief can be overridden at the whim of a single district court judge,” Lee said. “This legislation will create a judicial panel to expedite Supreme Court review of these blanket injunctions, preventing unelected radicals in robes from sabotaging the separation of powers.”

The three-judge panel would be selected by the Chief Justice of the United States, who would then preside over the case. Any form of relief to a bill – whether preliminary or permanent – would require a majority of the judges on the panel to agree.

The bill would amend section 2284 of tile 28 of the U.S. Code and would “establish special procedures for civil actions seeking to restrain executive branch activities.”

Lee’s proposed bill comes as several district court judges have used injunctions to block some of President Trump’s executive orders. Most notably, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg declined to lift a restraining order stopping the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants. In his ruling, Boasberg determined that Trump’s use of the act was “unprecedented outside of the typical wartime context.”

Lee claimed that the decisions from the district court judges are “usurping the role of the Chief Executive from President Donald Trump and attempting to thwart the will of the American people who elected him.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) seems to be in agreement with Lee, saying before reporters, “It violates the separation of powers when a judge thinks they can enjoin something that a president is doing that the American people voted for. That is not what the founders intended.”

As of March 26, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for further review.