Trump’s DOJ Shreds Biden’s Legal Agenda—Abortion, DEI, and COVID Cases Dropped

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) under President Donald Trump has moved to dismiss multiple lawsuits filed under the Biden-Harris administration, including cases related to state abortion laws, diversity hiring quotas, and COVID-19 disputes.

The decision marks a sharp reversal from the legal strategies pursued under former President Joe Biden and former Attorney General Merrick Garland.

One of the most significant cases dismissed last week was the DOJ’s challenge to Idaho’s abortion restrictions.

Elon Musk Called This Financial News ‘Terrifying’

The near-total abortion ban, enacted following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, includes exceptions for cases of rape, incest, or threats to the mother’s life.

The Biden-Harris administration sued Idaho in 2022, arguing that the state law conflicted with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), a federal statute ensuring emergency medical care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.

Biden’s DOJ claimed the law required hospitals to provide abortions if medically necessary to prevent “serious health consequences,” even if the mother’s life was not at risk.

However, during the case, plaintiffs failed to provide evidence that Idaho hospitals had denied emergency care under these circumstances.

American Made Patriotic Apparel – Save 15% with Promo Code MERICA

With the lawsuit now dropped, Idaho’s Defense of Life Act remains in effect, reinforcing state-level authority over abortion laws.

The Trump administration has also withdrawn lawsuits filed under Biden’s DOJ that sought to impose racial hiring quotas on police and fire departments across the country.

One case involved Cobb County, Georgia, where the DOJ accused the local fire department of racial discrimination in hiring.

The Biden-Harris administration sought a consent decree requiring the department to prioritize African-American hires, grant retroactive seniority, and pay $750,000 in settlements.

However, a federal judge appointed by Trump rejected the settlement, stating that the Biden DOJ failed to provide evidence that physical fitness tests or credit checks disproportionately discriminated against minorities.

“The court will not approve of an agreement which may violate the rights of others without a sufficient evidentiary basis to show that such race-based action is warranted,” the judge ruled in January.

Former DOJ Civil Rights Attorney Hans von Spakovsky noted that DEI-based hiring quotas were a key focus of Biden’s DOJ, but courts have increasingly challenged these efforts as unjust and legally unsound.

The Trump DOJ has also announced plans to drop a lawsuit against SpaceX, which was originally filed by Biden’s DOJ in August 2023.

The Biden-Harris administration accused SpaceX of violating the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by allegedly refusing to hire asylum seekers and refugees.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pushed back against the lawsuit, pointing out that federal regulations restrict SpaceX from hiring non-citizens due to arms trafficking laws.

Musk explained that under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), SpaceX’s rocket technology is classified as advanced weapons technology, meaning it can only be handled by U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.

“In other words, it was both illegal to hire asylum seekers and illegal not to hire asylum seekers!” Musk wrote on X.

On Thursday, U.S. attorneys filed an unopposed motion in Texas federal court to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, preventing it from being refiled.

Another Biden-era lawsuit facing dismissal involves the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) case against Xlear, a Utah-based healthcare company that developed a saline nasal spray marketed as a COVID-19 prevention product.

In 2021, the FTC sued Xlear, arguing that its advertising violated the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act by making “unsupported health claims” about the product’s ability to prevent coronavirus infections.

Xlear CEO Nathan Jones responded by arguing that the FTC lacked legal authority to demand clinical trial data from non-pharmaceutical health products.

“For four years, Xlear has been legally harassed and heavily censored,” Jones said, claiming that the government “shuttered the marketplace of ideas” while pharmaceutical companies pushed vaccines and other treatments.

On Thursday, the DOJ moved to dismiss the case, marking a major legal victory for Xlear and a loss for the federal regulatory approach taken under Biden.

The wave of case dismissals signals a major shift in legal priorities under Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has led the repeal of Biden-era policies that sought to expand federal control over social and economic issues.

With Biden’s DOJ having pursued lawsuits related to abortion, DEI hiring mandates, corporate hiring practices, and COVID-19 regulation, the Trump administration’s approach reflects a rollback of federal overreach and a focus on individual liberties and state sovereignty.

As the DOJ continues to review cases filed under Biden, more dismissals of controversial lawsuits are expected in the coming months.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.