In a ruling in a case brought by former Institute of Peace board members fired by the Trump administration, Beryl Howell, a senior judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, rejected the Trump administration's authority over the agency.

The judge, appointed by President Barack Obama, wrote that the administration had ignored "the broader statutory goals set out for this organization [US Institute of Peace] to fulfill," and had "removed the Institute's leadership, including plaintiff Board members and its president in contravention of statutory limitations."

Early in his second administration, Trump had sought to reform the agency. That involved replacing the president of the institute with a Department of Government Efficiency employee, terminating most of the agency's staff, and transferring ownership of the institute's property to the General Services Administration.

Howell concluded that the Trump administration's actions were illegitimate and therefore "null and void."

Reacting to the judge's decision, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-TN, told The Daily Signal, "President Trump was elected to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. He's doing exactly that—but activist judges are blocking him at every turn,"

"Congress can—and must—fire these judges who think it's acceptable for American taxpayer dollars to fund corruption like this," Ogles added.

The judge's decision is another roadblock to the Trump administration's efforts to curb the federal bureaucracy in Washington by making it both more efficient and accountable to the priorities of the chief executive, whom the American people elected in November. The Trump administration has also been locked in a dispute with US District Court Judge James Boasberg over its ability to initiate deportations against illegal aliens. 

The Trump administration had argued in the case before Howell that the Institute of Peace should be categorized as an "executive branch component of the nation's federal government exercising executive power through executive functions," whereas the opposing counsel argued the institute is a "free-standing nonprofit." Howell concluded in her ruling that the agency should not be considered a "part of the executive branch."

Ogles pointed to information alleged in a post by DOGE as justification for the president's reforms. 

"Before DOGE, the US Institute for Peace gave $132,000 to Mohammad Qasem Halimi, an ex-Taliban official, and over $2.2 million to its outside accountant, who then tried to delete more than a terabyte of financial records. All while burning hundreds of thousands on private jets," Ogles told The Daily Signal.

The president's actions with the institute mirror what he did with the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in March that 83% of the agency's programs would be canceled. Rubio has been acting head of the agency since February.

The Trump administration has 30 days to appeal Howell's rule. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Jacob Adams is a journalism fellow at The Daily Signal.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Trump Grants Federal Workers Two Additional Christmas Holidays

America Fest 2025: Erika Kirk Endorses 'My Husband's Friend' JD Vance for President

Brent Bozell Confirmed as US Ambassador to South Africa

Jury Quickly Convicts Judge Who Helped Illegal Migrant Escape ICE

Feds Estimate Somali-Linked Fraud in Walz's Minnesota Could Top $9 Billion

Trump SUSPENDS 'Green Card Lottery' after Program Let Brown University–MIT Shooting Suspect Enter the US

Brown, MIT Shooter Found Dead for Days in NH Storage Unit; Motive Still a Mystery

House Passes Bill to Criminalize Transgender Mutilation of Children

November Inflation Falls to 2.7%, Lower than Expected: 'This Is Good News for Wall Street; It’s Good News for Main Street'

MOVIEGUIDE's Review of the New Animated Film: DAVID

Massachusetts Drops Controversial Gender Ideology Mandate for Licensing Foster Care Parents

Nearly 40% of Women Suffer Severe Grief for Years after Abortion, Miscarriage: Study

Former Pfizer Vice President: COVID Shots Were 'Designed to Cause Injury,' Reduce Fertility

Dutch Sheets Shares a Warning from the US National Counterterrorism Center

Venezuela: Trump's Pressure Campaign and Maduro's Fury

President Trump Charts Accomplishments and Previews Future Policies during His Primetime Address

Secretary Hegseth and Franklin Graham Preach Gospel at Pentagon Christmas Service: 'Jesus Took Our Shame'

'Unsafe, Needless, Irreversible': HHS Sec. Kennedy Takes Sweeping Action to Reverse Biden-Era Policies on So-Called 'Gender Affirming Care'

Hobby Lobby Giving Away Half a Million Copies of Book Defending Biblical Christmas Story [Video]

Geothermal Blind Power Site Discovered in Nevada