Donald Trump

A 72-Year-Old Law Keeps Foiling Trump's Agenda in Court

The Administrative Procedure Act requires federal agencies to give a reasoned justification for policy decisions and offer the public the chance to weigh in on changes

A decades-old law has been the stumbling block behind a string of recent legal defeats for President Donald Trump, stymying his push to reverse Obama-era policies, NBC News reported.

Courts have cited the Administrative Procedure Act, from 1946, when blocking the administration's attempts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, delay a regulation requiring oil and gas companies to reduce methane leaks and postpone a rule that would give low-income families more access to housing in wealthier neighborhoods.

The law requires federal agencies to give a reasoned justification for policy decisions and offer the public the chance to weigh in on changes.

Critics of the Trump administration, like California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, have slowed its agenda with this kind of procedural challenge. Legal experts say the approach can yield quicker, more favorable results than challenging the policy itself.

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