⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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State of Rhode Island v. Trump — 1st Cir. (argued September 16, 2026)

No. 26-1070 Argued September 16, 2026 Published September 17, 2026

The First Circuit hears the Trump administration’s appeal in State of Rhode Island v. Trump. Executive Order 14238 told congressionally created entities to end nonstatutory work and reduce statutory functions and staff to the legal minimum. Twenty-one states sued after the agencies placed nearly all employees on leave or reassigned them, canceled grants and services, and curtailed congressionally funded work. This appeal concerns three: the Minority Business Development Agency, supporting minority-owned businesses; the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, mediating labor disputes; and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, coordinating homelessness policy. The district court held the implementation arbitrary and capricious, contrary to law, and unconstitutional. It vacated the challenged actions and permanently barred future implementation of the order for the affected agencies. The government says the court lacked jurisdiction over some relief, there was no discrete final agency action to review, and the injunction is overbroad. The states say the coordinated shutdowns were reviewable and the remedy still permits lawful streamlining.

State of Rhode Island v. Trump (No. 26-1070) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, argued September 16, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/oralargs/26-1070_20260916.mp3
Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit:https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/doar/results/2026-09
Executive Order 14238 — Federal Register:https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-04868.pdf
Final summary-judgment order — U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island:https://ecf.rid.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2025cv0128-99
Prior First Circuit opinion — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit:https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/opnfiles/25-1477P-01A.pdf
Current appellate docket — Justia:https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca1/26-1070
About USICH — U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness:https://usich.gov/about/usich
Ester Murdukhayeva — New York Attorney General filing:https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/amicus-curiae/danco-laboratories-llc-v-lousiana-et-al-amicus-brief-2026.pdf

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