United States Speaker Mike Johnson has discussed the possibility of Congress eliminating federal courts, amidst pressure from Republicans to take action against judges who have ruled against President Donald Trump.
This follows recent comments from Vice President J.D. Vance where he claimed that judges “aren’t allowed” to block Trump, after court rulings prevented Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (DOGE) from accessing treasury systems.
In response to these rulings, the Trump administration has notably called for the impeachment U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who sought to block Trump from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants.
Johnson has now floated the idea of eliminating federal courts via Congress, when speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
“We do have the authority over the federal courts, as you know. We can eliminate an entire district court. We have power of funding over the courts and all these other things,” he said.
“But desperate times call for desperate measures, and Congress is going to act.”
