Yale and Harvard law professors declare Article II crisis

On Apr. 1, 2025, over 150 constitutional scholars declared a separation of powers crisis after President Trump issued executive orders that directly contradicted existing congressional legislation and Supreme Court precedents (Constitutional scholar crisis declaration).

In his first 30 days in office, President Trump signed more than 70 executive orders—including a record 26 on Jan. 20, 2025—according to UC Law San Francisco constitutional experts (UC Law SF executive order tracking).

The administration froze trillions of dollars in congressionally appropriated grants and funds, challenging Congress’s constitutional power of the purse (AP constitutional crisis analysis).

President Trump fired independent inspectors general en masse, undermining the system of executive‐branch oversight designed by Congress (UC Law SF constitutional expert panel).

By Mar. 2025, over 130 lawsuits had been filed nationwide challenging these executive actions, and federal judges had issued about 36 injunctions against the administration’s orders (UC Law expert legal analysis; 🌲Washington Post judicial analysis).

UC Law SF Professor Rory Little described the situation as “a crisis, a challenge to the rule of the law in the United States,” emphasizing the severity of the breakdown in checks and balances (UC Law SF constitutional panel).