Speaker Johnson Suggests “Defunding” or “Eliminating” the Courts if They Continue to Oppose Trump’s Initiatives

Congressional Speaker Mike Johnson stated that Congress has the authority to eliminate federal courts and suggested that Congress might act if federal judges continue to block President Trump’s initiatives.

During a press conference in March 2025, Johnson said:“We do have authority over the federal courts, as you know. We can eliminate an entire district court. We have power over funding, and all these other things. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and Congress is going to act.”

This was in response to mounting pressure from conservative lawmakers to confront judges who have issued rulings against Trump’s policies, particularly on immigration and deportation. Johnson’s remarks were framed as a warning and a reflection of Congress’s constitutional powers under Article III, which allows Congress to establish and, in rare historical cases, dissolve lower federal courts.

Johnson did not announce an immediate plan to abolish specific courts but emphasized that Congress has “extensive authority” over the federal judiciary, including funding, jurisdiction, and the establishment or elimination of lower courts.He cited historical precedent, such as the dissolution of the Commerce Court in 1913, to…