Judge says Trump wrong in scrapping peace institute

A federal court has struck down a Trump administration effort to dismantle the U.S. Institute of Peace, declaring its actions unlawful and constitutionally unsound.

According to Breitbart, the ruling by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell nullifies measures taken to eliminate the congressionally funded Institute, citing improper removals, unauthorized staffing changes, and violations of legal procedures.

On February 19, 2025, during the early weeks of his second term, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14217, calling the U.S. Institute of Peace “unnecessary” and directing a drastic scale-down of its functions and personnel.

That order was followed by the Trump administration's deployment of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to carry out changes at the Institute without consulting Congress or following legal hiring and firing protocols.

DOGE officials removed then-president of the Institute and attempted to install new leadership aligned with the administration, despite lacking statutory authority to do so under existing laws governing federal institutions and appointments.

Federal Court Denounces Use Of Force At Institute

Two months before Judge Howell's decision, a confrontation took place at the Institute's Washington, D.C., headquarters, where DOGE agents, accompanied by law enforcement from three agencies, entered the premises with force.

According to the acting head of the Institute, the intrusion resulted in widespread layoffs and disruption of federal operations inside the building, prompting legal challenges soon after.

Judge Howell underscored that the actions were executed without Congressional input and without pursuing the proper steps to amend federal statutes or reallocate financial appropriations related to the Institute.

Judge Questions Presidential Authority Over USIP

In her decision, Howell wrote that President Trump had bypassed the legislative branch by acting unilaterally. “Within the first month of his second term, President Trump unilaterally decided that USIP is ‘unnecessary,’” she stated in her findings.

She added that no attempt had been made to suggest that Congress halt funding, pass new laws to restructure the Institute, or formally dissolve the agency, which was created in 1984 by law and has been funded each year since—including in 2024.

“The unilateral actions were taken without asking Congress to cease or reprogram appropriations,” Howell noted, “or by recommending that Congress enact a new law to dissolve or reduce the Institute or transfer its tasks to another entity...”

Constitutional Grounds Cited In Final Judgment

Throughout the opinion, Howell emphasized that the Trump administration overstepped constitutional boundaries by treating the Institute as part of the Executive branch, when, in legal fact, it is not classified as such.

As a result, the court found that USIP’s leadership, including acting president George Moose, falls outside the President’s appointment and removal authority under the Executive branch framework.

“The President second-guessed the judgement of Congress and President Reagan in creating USIP 40 years ago,” Howell wrote, “and the judgement of every Congress since then, including in 2024, in appropriating funds to USIP...”

Leadership At Institute To Remain In Place

The decision restores leadership authority to George Moose, who had remained acting president during months of legal uncertainty following DOGE’s attempted takeover under Executive Order 14217.

Judge Howell was particularly critical of the administration’s reliance on “brute force,” writing, “The President and his subordinates then used brute force and threats of criminal process to take over USIP’s headquarters...”

The court ruling effectively nullifies Executive Order 14217 and reaffirms the legislative protections binding the operation of the U.S. Institute of Peace, placing limits on future executive actions against federally chartered agencies.