How many lawsuits are against Donald trump right now
Executive summary
Counting “how many lawsuits are against Donald Trump right now” depends on definition: trackers of litigation targeting the Trump administration report figures ranging from about 186 suits by April 2025 to a surge later in the year and into December 2025 with multiple outlets citing hundreds of cases — one project counted 186 legal actions as of April and other trackers report hundreds, including specialized trackers that list dozens to hundreds of executive‑action challenges [1] [2] [3]. Independent outlets and project trackers show totals vary by scope (administration actions only, multistate suits, private civil suits, criminal cases) and date [3] [4] [5].
1. What counts as “a lawsuit against Trump”? — Definitions change the number
Reporters and legal trackers use different criteria: some count only suits challenging the administration’s executive actions (Lawfare, AP project), others include multistate attorney‑general actions, private civil suits and company challenges to tariffs, and still others aggregate every legal action naming the president or his administration. Lawfare’s Litigation Tracker follows legal challenges to executive actions and related national‑security litigation specifically [3]. Ballotpedia separately documents 24 multistate suits as of May 2025 against the federal government [4]. AP’s tracker notes “hundreds” of lawsuits against the second Trump administration [2]. Those differences explain the spread in reported totals.
2. Snapshot figures from major trackers and recent reporting
The Fulcrum reported 186 legal actions filed against the Trump administration as of April 22, 2025 [1]. AP has summarized and maintained an “executive order” tracker describing “hundreds” of suits through mid‑2025 [2]. Lawfare and Just Security maintain ongoing litigation trackers focused on challenges to administration policies and actions; those trackers list many individual cases and are updated as suits are filed or resolved [3] [6]. Independent reporting in late 2025 also documents mounting litigation over tariffs and other policies, with dozens of corporate suits like Costco’s against tariff orders [7] [8].
3. Criminal cases vs civil challenges — separate buckets
Public reporting distinguishes criminal prosecutions and private civil suits from litigation challenging executive orders. AP’s comprehensive legal status piece catalogs criminal cases involving Trump (for example, past “hush money” and federal allegations) and separately tracks civil litigation and appeals, indicating different tallies and trajectories for each category [5]. Available sources do not supply a single consolidated number that sums criminal indictments, civil lawsuits, and administrative challenges into one “current” total across all jurisdictions.
4. Why numbers rose in 2025 — policy choices and expedited litigation
Reporters note a surge in suits soon after Trump’s second inauguration, driven by aggressive executive orders, tariffs imposed under IEEPA, immigration directives, and the unusual invocation of laws such as the Alien Enemies Act. Trackers and outlets report that many suits were filed quickly and some were expedited to the Supreme Court or appellate dockets [1] [3] [6]. Businesses challenged “reciprocal” tariffs in large numbers — Costco’s suit is one of many seeking refunds and injunctions while related cases are before the Supreme Court [7] [8].
5. Conflicting counts and how to interpret them
Different organizations emphasize different slices of litigation: The Fulcrum’s 186 figure (April 2025) documents legal actions against the administration’s policies at that time [1], while AP and Lawfare keep dynamic trackers that report “hundreds” overall as suits proliferated [2] [3]. A December 2025 compilation by The Fulcrum cited a 530‑lawsuit figure for 2025 in one headline, illustrating how totals can balloon based on later filings and broader inclusion criteria [9]. Readers must check what each tracker includes — executive orders only, multistate suits, corporate challenges, or private civil litigation — to understand differences.
6. What’s not in the available sources
Available sources do not provide a single, authoritative, up‑to‑the‑minute consolidated count that combines every criminal case, civil suit, multistate action and administrative challenge against Trump across all federal and state courts. They also do not state a uniformly accepted cutoff date for “right now” in your question, so totals in reporting vary by the date of each tracker snapshot [1] [3] [2].
7. How to get the most accurate current total
If you want a defensible number, pick your scope: (A) executive‑action lawsuits only — use Lawfare or AP’s executive‑order tracker [3] [2]; (B) multistate AG suits — see Ballotpedia’s compilation [4]; (C) corporate and private civil suits (e.g., tariff suits like Costco’s) — consult business press and filings such as CNBC and The Hill [7] [8]; or (D) an aggregate total — consult periodic summaries like The Fulcrum and cross‑reference major trackers to reconcile overlaps [1] [9]. Each choice will produce a different, defensible headline number.