Amid court losses, Trump administration talk of ignoring rules fuels fears of constitutional crisis – live

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Concerns that the Trump administration would ignore court orders were heightened yesterday, when a federal judge said that the White House had ignored his ruling ordering an end to a freeze on federal funding. Here’s more on that, from the Guardian’s Anna Betts:

A federal judge said on Monday that the Trump administration had defied his order to unfreeze billions in federal funding and issued a directive demanding that the government “immediately restore frozen funding”.

In the order, US district judge John J McConnell Jr in Rhode Island instructed Donald Trump’s administration to restore and resume federal funding in accordance with the temporary restraining order he issued in January, which halted the administration’s freeze of congressionally approved federal funds.

The ruling appeared to be the first instance of a judge finding the Trump administration had violated a court order pausing a new policy rollout. The Trump administration on Monday said it is appealing.

Last month, the Trump administration’s office of management and budget issued a memo halting federal grants and loans while it evaluated spending to ensure it was in alignment with Trump’s agenda and policies. The administration later withdrew the memo, which caused widespread confusion.

Bar association warns White House 'cannot choose which law it will follow or ignore'

The American Bar Association has hit back at Donald Trump’s efforts to pause federal spending and dismantle agencies created by Congress, saying that the administration must adhere to the rule of law and respect court decisions.

In a statement, the bar association’s president William Bay singled out Trump’s attempt to freeze federal loans and grants that Congress had authorized, calling it “a violation of the rule of law [that] suggests that the executive branch can overrule the other two co-equal branches of government.”

“The money appropriated by Congress must be spent in accordance with what Congress has said. It cannot be changed or paused because a newly elected administration desires it. Our elected representatives know this. The lawyers of this country know this. It must stop,” Bay said.

He then called for elected officials and attorneys to work to ensure that the Trump administration respects the courts:

We call upon our elected representatives to stand with us and to insist upon adherence to the rule of law and the legal processes and procedures that ensure orderly change. The administration cannot choose which law it will follow or ignore. These are not partisan or political issues. These are rule of law and process issues. We cannot afford to remain silent. We must stand up for the values we hold dear.

Amid court losses, Trump administration talk of ignoring rulings fuels fears of constitutional crisis

Good morning, US politics blog readers. Donald Trump’s efforts to upend the federal government have been given a dim reception by judges nationwide, who in recent days handed down rulings blocking his attempt to curtail birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants, allow Elon Musk and his cohort access to the Treasury’s payment systems, coax government workers to resign en masse and freeze federal funding, among others. But as the decisions have come down talk among Trump administration officials of ignoring decisions they disagree with has increased. JD Vance was the most prominent of those who have floated these ideas, musing over the weekend that “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.” Such statements have sparked worries among Democrats and legal scholars that the Trump administration will create a constitutional crisis by defying the courts. You can expect to hear plenty more about that today, as the president’s campaign, and the legal battle it has created, continues.

Here’s what else we are watching for:

• Trump will host King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House beginning at 11.30am, then sign unspecified executive orders at 3pm. Yesterday’s orders included new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, and regulations to hold off on enforcing an anti-bribery law.

• Today may be the day that House Republicans release details of their big bill that is expected to cut taxes and government spending and pay for Trump administration priorities such as mass deportations. Mike Johnson and his team have a press conference scheduled for 10am.

• Hamas said they are holding off on the release of future Israeli hostages over breaches of the ceasefire deal, prompting Trump to say “let hell break out” if more aren’t freed by Saturday. We have a separate live blog covering the crisis in the Middle East, and you can read it here.