Judge orders briefing on whether Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS can proceed

Saturday, April 25, 2026U.S. PoliticsWell-covered3 frames

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams questioned whether Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department can proceed in federal court.
The judge said it is unclear whether Trump and the government entities he sued are sufficiently adverse to satisfy the Constitution’s case-or-controversy requirement.
Williams noted that although Trump says he is suing in his personal capacity, he is the sitting president and the agencies he sued are subject to his direction.
The judge ordered Trump’s lawyers and the Justice Department to justify why the case should proceed, making the lawsuit’s basic legal footing the immediate issue before the court.
The order followed a request to delay the case while the parties discussed a possible settlement, and the judge denied that request.
Trump filed the lawsuit in January along with Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and the Trump Organization, seeking $10 billion over alleged leaks of tax-return information.
The unresolved question is whether a sitting president can maintain a lawsuit against federal agencies he oversees; the judge has required further briefing and set additional proceedings to address that issue.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams questioned whether Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department can proceed in federal court.
The judge said it is unclear whether Trump and the government entities he sued are sufficiently adverse to satisfy the Constitution’s case-or-controversy requirement.
Williams noted that although Trump says he is suing in his personal capacity, he is the sitting president and the agencies he sued are subject to his direction.
The judge ordered Trump’s lawyers and the Justice Department to justify why the case should proceed, making the lawsuit’s basic legal footing the immediate issue before the court.
The order followed a request to delay the case while the parties discussed a possible settlement, and the judge denied that request.
Trump filed the lawsuit in January along with Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and the Trump Organization, seeking $10 billion over alleged leaks of tax-return information.
The unresolved question is whether a sitting president can maintain a lawsuit against federal agencies he oversees; the judge has required further briefing and set additional proceedings to address that issue.