Prominent figures in the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance and billionaire Elon Musk, are openly questioning the judiciary’s role in checking executive power as courts block key parts of the president’s sweeping agenda.
In the past 24 hours, criticism has mounted over a federal judge’s decision early Saturday to prevent Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department records. The ruling has sparked a broader debate over judicial oversight, a cornerstone of the U.S. government’s separation of powers.
Vice President Vance took to X on Sunday morning to challenge the ruling, arguing that judges should not have the authority to interfere with executive actions.
“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.
Musk, tasked by President Donald Trump with eliminating government waste, went even further, calling for the judge’s impeachment.
“A corrupt judge protecting corruption. He needs to be impeached NOW!” Musk wrote, sharing a post from a user suggesting the administration should ignore the court order.
The ruling temporarily bars Musk’s team from accessing a Treasury system containing sensitive personal data, including Social Security and bank account numbers for millions of Americans. The Trump administration argues that Musk’s team is simply working to root out waste and abuse.
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called the decision “an assault on the very idea of democracy itself.”
“What we continue to see is rogue bureaucrats—unelected, unaccountable, with lifetime tenure—amassing power and running the country from the shadows,” Miller said on Fox News Channel’s *Sunday Morning Futures*.
The administration’s efforts to dismantle federal agencies and reduce the workforce have faced significant legal pushback. Judges have blocked Trump’s plans to implement mass federal buyouts, place thousands of USAID workers on leave, and enforce an executive order ending birthright citizenship.
On Saturday, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction after 19 Democratic attorneys general sued, arguing that the Trump administration unlawfully granted Musk’s team access to the Treasury Department’s payment system.
Trump expressed frustration with the ruling while speaking aboard Air Force One.
“We’re very disappointed with the judges that would make such a ruling, but we have a long way to go,” Trump said. “No judge should frankly be allowed to make that kind of a decision.”
The disputed payment system processes tax refunds, Social Security benefits, and veterans’ payments, handling trillions of dollars annually. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 14.
Democratic leaders have raised alarms over Trump and Musk’s moves, including attempts to halt spending already approved by Congress. Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress controls government spending.
“This is the most serious constitutional crisis since Watergate,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said on ABC’s *This Week*. “This is a red alert moment when this entire country has to understand that our democracy is at risk.”
Murphy expressed concern that the judiciary may be overwhelmed by the administration’s rapid-fire legal challenges.
“The pace of this assault on the Constitution in order to serve the billionaire class is absolutely dizzying,” Murphy said. “You cannot just rely on the court system. You need public pressure and bipartisan opposition.”
Despite the legal setbacks, Republicans have remained firmly behind Trump’s agenda.
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan criticized the ruling on CNN’s *Inside Politics*, arguing that the courts should not obstruct the president’s ability to govern.
“I assume we will argue this out in court, like the other 17 or 18 decisions we have seen in the last several days. But we knew the left, we knew the Democrats were going to do this,” Jordan said.
With legal battles mounting, the fight over executive power, judicial oversight, and the scope of Trump’s agenda is far from over.
