Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) joined Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in introducing the Judicial Relief Clarification Act of 2025. The bill would limit federal court orders to parties directly before the court—ending the practice of universal injunctions and clarifying the constitutional role of the judicial branch.
“District judges are not policymakers and have no authority to set national policy. The Constitution intentionally separates powers among three equal branches of government, but some district judges have overstepped, infringing on the executive branch with nationwide orders. These activist judges are undermining our nation’s constitutional balance of power, and we must put an end to this dangerous act of overreach. I am proud to join Senator Grassley and several of my Senate Republican colleagues to introduce the Judicial Relief Clarification Act to address improper judicial interference with the executive branch,” said Senator Budd.
Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) joined Senators Budd and Grassley in introducing the bill.
Read the full bill text HERE.
Background
Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution limits courts to deciding cases or controversies. Nevertheless, it has become increasingly common for federal judges to issue sweeping “universal injunctions” that apply even to people who are not before the court. Universal injunctions defy two centuries of historic precedent. Scholars have found no clear record of such an order before 1963 – they have only become common in the last decade. In the first two months of President Trump’s second term, district court judges have issued more universal injunctions against his policies than the Biden administration experienced in four years.
