JD Vance Challenges Judicial Oversight, Defends Presidential Control Over Executive Powers

Vice-President JD Vance has suggested judges do not have authority over the Trump administration's executive power, as the White House responds to a flurry of lawsuits that aim to stall its agenda. "Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power," he wrote on X. Vance's remarks on Sunday came less than 24 hours after a judge blocked members of Trump's newly created advisory body, the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), from accessing sensitive US Treasury Department systems. During his first three weeks in office, President Donald Trump has signed dozens of executive orders, many of which are alleged by his critics to have exceeded his constitutional authority.

Over the past 24 hours, officials ranging from billionaire Elon Musk to Vice President JD Vance have not only criticized a federal judge's decision early Saturday that blocks Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department records but have also attacked the legitimacy of judicial oversight, a fundamental pillar of American democracy, which is based on the separation of powers."If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that's also illegal. Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power," Vance wrote on X on Sunday morning. That post came hours after Musk said overnight that the judge who ruled against him should be impeached.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance seem to be gearing up for a battle about the separation of powers after weighing in on whether the federal judiciary should be able to curtail executive authority. Early Saturday morning, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer issued a ruling that temporarily blocks Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency from gaining access to the payment system of the Treasury Department, which is under the purview of the executive branch. The judge also ordered anyone outside the Treasury Department who has already gained access to the system to destroy all downloaded information. Musk and DOGE have attempted to audit the agency to uncover possible fraud, waste, and other inefficiencies. Engelmayer's ruling is set to expire on Friday, when a hearing will be held before a federal judge in New York, who will consider the issue on a more permanent basis. The case was brought by 19 state attorneys general — all Democrats — who argued that Musk and DOGE should not have access to sensitive data within the payment system.