Fact Check: Did Trump order immediate termination of a federal judge over judicial activism?

WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that President Donald Trump has ordered the immediate termination of a federal judge named Josephine Barron for judicial activism, sparking speculations and debates over the president’s authority. Let us analyze the origins of the viral claim and fact-check its authenticity.

Claim: Donald Trump ordered the termination of a federal judge

According to the viral claim, Trump just ordered the immediate termination of federal judge Josephine Barron for blatant judicial activism. She’s been given 24 hours to clean out her office in the 4th US District Court of New Jersey. 

Constitutional scholar Alan Dershowitz confirmed it’s completely within the President’s rights, it’s just never been done before, the post states.

“This was an extreme case. She needed to go,” Dershowitz allegedly said.

The post further states that for years, these rogue judges have been legislating from the bench, blocking everything Trump tries to do, and protecting the deep state. 

Fact Check: Federal judges cannot be removed by the president

The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence that Trump made such a move. A search on Google for the claim yielded no credible reports by prominent news media outlets, which, if true, will not go unreported.

Moreover, federal judges have lifetime appointments protected by the Constitution and cannot be fired by the president; removal requires House impeachment and Senate conviction.

There are also no records or search results for a judge named Josephine Barron or a court called the 4th US District Court in New Jersey. Hence, the claim is rated as false.

According to a fact check by Grok, “This post is false. President Trump did not fire federal judge Josephine Barron (or any Article III federal judge) for activism."

"US presidents have no power to remove lifetime-appointed federal judges; removal requires congressional impeachment and Senate conviction. No credible news reports confirm the event, and the claim appears to be fabricated misinformation from a pro-Trump fan account.”

Federal Judge blocks Donald Trump's immigration policies

The claim surfaced after a federal judge on June 5 struck down a series of Trump-era immigration policies that had halted the processing of applications from 39 banned countries, forcing the immigration agencies to process applications again. 

In the observation, the Rhode Island-based US District Judge John McConnell found that all of the actions were unlawful. 

“More than six months ago, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (‘USCIS’) enacted a series of policies that threw the lives of countless immigrants living in the United States into indeterminate legal limbo,” McConnell wrote in the 135-page ruling.