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Trump admin live updates: WH continues to attack judges blocking Trump's agenda

"The judges in this country are acting erroneously," Karoline Leavitt said.

ByKevin Shalvey, Alexandra Hutzler, William Mansell, and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: March 19, 2025, 6:01 PM EDT

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a ban on transgender service members that was to go into effect on Friday.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said his high-stakes call with Russian President Vladimir Putin was "very good and productive" as the U.S. president seeks to find common ground for a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

And as the White House faces a legal battle over its use of the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law, under which it began deporting Venezuelans allegedly linked to organized crime, Trump joined calls for the judge's impeachment, which drew a rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Mar 18, 2025, 12:30 PM EDT

Supreme Court's John Roberts pushes back on Trump's attacks on judges: 'Not an appropriate response'

In response to ABC News and other inquiries with the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts provided a statement calling President Donald Trump's calls to impeach judges whose rulings he disagrees with "not an appropriate response."

"For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose," Roberts said.

Trump earlier Tuesday called for the judge in the legal battle over his administration's deportation flights to be impeached.

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts attends inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

-ABC News' Devin Dwyer

Mar 18, 2025, 11:10 AM EDT

Trump speaking with Russia's Vladimir Putin

President Donald Trump began the highly anticipated phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin at 10 a.m. ET. and it was still ongoing as of 10:54 a.m.

The White House has provided a brief glimpse into the phone conversation, saying it is "going well," according to deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Mar. 18, 2025 and President Donald Trump in Washington, Mar. 13, 2025.
Reuters

Mar 18, 2025, 9:48 AM EDT

Trump takes aim at judge amid court battle over deportation flights

President Donald Trump is ramping up criticism of U.S. District Judge Jeb Boasberg, who conducted a "fact-finding" hearing on Monday over whether the Trump administration knowingly violated a court order when it flew more than 200 alleged gang members to El Salvador over the weekend.

President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a guided tour of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before leading a board meeting, Mar. 17, 2025 in Washington.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In a new social media post, Trump suggested the federal judge should be impeached.

"This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges' I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!" Trump wrote. "WE DON'T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY."

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh

Mar 18, 2025, 8:40 AM EDT

DOGE, DC police force way into independent US Institute for Peace

DOGE staffers entered the independent nonprofit U.S. Institute for Peace (USIP) on Monday night. Acting President and CEO George Moose told reporters that the group had "broken in" to the building after being rebuffed on Friday. USIP posted a statement on Saturday following the incident.

A sign for the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is seen on its' building headquarters on February 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

The administration has also apparently fired most of the 15-member board, save for the officials who are legally mandated to sit on it: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Defense University President Peter Garvin. The remaining 12 members are typically selected by the president and confirmed through the Senate.

-ABC News' Chad Murray and Nicholas Kerr

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