Judge orders White House staff to comply with presidential records law that DOJ calls unconstitutional
Washington — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered White House staff and President Trump's top advisers to comply with a law that requires certain presidential records to be preserved.
TL;DR
- A federal judge ordered White House staff and top advisers to comply with the Presidential Records Act.
- The Presidential Records Act, enacted in 1978 after Watergate, requires that presidential records be preserved and belong to the U.S. government.
- The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel had argued the act was unconstitutional, but the judge found it "likely constitutional."
- The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by historical and government oversight groups.
- The injunction takes effect May 26 and applies to most White House employees, including the chief of staff and National Security Council, but not President Trump or Vice President JD Vance.