Former national security adviser John Bolton arrives at the Greenbelt Federal Courthouse in Greenbelt, Md., for his arraignment on Oct. 17, 2025. (Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP)
Chuang ruled that Trump's order was likely motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment, describing it as a revised "realization" of Trump’s "long-envisioned Muslim ban," which he had floated repeatedly during his first presidential bid.
"Simply because a decisionmaker made the statements during a campaign does not wipe them from the ‘reasonable memory’ of a ‘reasonable observer,'" he said in the injunction, which was quickly appealed to the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
Shortly after Trump took office in January, Chuang again drew the administration’s ire when he blocked Trump and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from continuing efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development. In a 70-page ruling, he said the actions likely violated the U.S. Constitution "in multiple ways."
The preliminary injunction was the first to attempt to constrain DOGE, which at the time had already cut 98% of USAID staffers. The 4th Circuit also set aside Chuang's ruling on appeal several weeks later, clearing the way for DOGE to continue its efforts to gut USAID.
Chuang has also presided over lesser-known cases, including temporarily suspending in-person requirements for women who were seeking the morning-after pill during the COVID-19 pandemic. That decision was later reversed by the Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision.
RULES ON NEARLY $2 BILLION IN FROZEN USAID PAYMENTS
John Bolton, who served as President Donald Trump's national security adviser during his first term, leaves his house in Bethesda Md., on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
Earlier this year, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a House resolution seeking to impeach Chuang and five other federal judges who had challenged Trump administration actions. (The attempt prompted a stern warning from the New York City Bar Association, which cited "grave concerns" about the effort.)
Bolton appeared Friday in federal court in Greenbelt, Md., where he pleaded not guilty to 18 counts.
Bolton’s indictment makes him the third Trump foe to have been indicted in federal court in as many weeks, following the high-profile indictments brought against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. But his case has not touched off the same concerns or allegations of political retribution as the others.
The investigation into Bolton’s handling of classified materials moved forward in part during the Biden administration, and career prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office signed off on the charges — a contrast to the cases against Comey and James, which were brought by Trump’s former attorney Lindsey Halligan.
A magistrate judge ordered Bolton released on the condition that he remain in the continental United States and surrender his passport, which he did. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 21.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.
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