Judicial Actions
Judicial actions include any court determination on a motion or a final opinion issued during litigation. The Tracker highlights decisions on court motions such as Preliminary Injunctions, which temporarily halt the activity at issue until the case is resolved, as well as opinions from trial courts, appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judicial decisions are legally binding on the parties involved and, when issued by higher courts, can establish precedent, commonly known as case law.
Critical Judicial Actions
American Federation of Government Employees v. U.S. Office of Management and Budget (2025) - Layoffs During Government Shutdown
Description:
The court granted a preliminary injunction, finding that the unions were likely to succeed on their claims that the OMB and OPM acted unlawfully and arbitrarily in directing mass federal employee layoffs during the shutdown.
American Association of Cosmetology Schools v. U.S. Dept of Ed. and Ogle School Management v. U.S. Dept of Ed. (2024) Challenges Gainful Employment Rule
Description:
Two consolidated lawsuits attempted to challenge the Gainful Employment (GE) Rule, effective July 1, 2024, contending that the U.S. Department of Education exceeded Congress’s intent by using a debt-to-earnings metric to evaluate applicable programs. On October 2, 2025, the Court found for the Department, thus maintaining the Biden Era GE Rule.
Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (2024) - Agency Authority
Description:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Administrative Procedure Act requires courts to independently determine statutory meaning, rather than deferring to agencies to determine authority on ambiguous statutes.