Special Poll
House Republicans are preparing to introduce impeachment efforts against at least two federal judges who have ruled against President Trump’s initiatives to reshape the federal government.
These actions reflect an escalating tension between Republican lawmakers and the federal judiciary as Trump continues to face legal roadblocks to his “government efficiency” agenda. The president intensified this debate during a recent Oval Office briefing alongside DOGE head Elon Musk, stating, “Maybe we have to look at the judges because I think that’s a very serious violation.” Vice President J.D. Vance has also expressed concerns, arguing that federal judges have been overstepping their authority and limiting the president’s rightful powers.
Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia is drafting articles of impeachment against U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell Jr., who previously ordered the administration to lift a federal spending freeze. Clyde has accused McConnell of using his position to undermine Trump’s policies, calling him a “partisan activist” who is obstructing efforts to cut government funding for what he describes as unnecessary and ideological programs.
Representative Eli Crane of Arizona is also preparing impeachment charges against District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer, who blocked DOGE from accessing Treasury records. Both judges preside over courts in Rhode Island and the Southern District of New York, respectively, though neither court has commented on these developments.
For these impeachment efforts to succeed, Clyde and Crane would need a majority vote in the House and a two-thirds majority in the Senate. With only 53 Republican senators, the likelihood of conviction remains low. Historically, judicial impeachments are rare and typically reserved for serious offenses such as corruption or perjury. The last successful impeachment of a federal judge occurred in 2010 over false financial disclosures.