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How many legal cases has the Trump administration lost
Executive summary
Available trackers and reporting show hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration in 2025 — estimates range from roughly 186 adjudicated-or-pending suits in some snapshots to as many as 530 total suits filed — but there is no single, definitive count of “cases lost” in the provided sources (AP: “hundreds” [2]; The Fulcrum: 186 actions with 4 adjudicated so far [8]; The Fulcrum later estimates 530 suits in 2025 p1_s9). Different organizations count and classify matters differently (e.g., grouping district+appeal as one case), so headline percentages such as “93% lost” are tied to specific methodologies rather than a universal court-wide tally (Institute for Policy Integrity figure cited by Democracy Forward and others [3]; LawShun repeats the 93% claim citing that Institute p1_s5).
1. What the trackers actually measure — different lenses, different totals
Lawfare’s litigation tracker focuses on national-security–related executive actions and lists sortable entries and summary counts (it reported 241 active cases in its scope at one point) and treats a district suit plus resulting appeals as a single “case” for counting purposes (Lawfare Litigation Tracker p1_s2). Just Security provides an ongoing litigation tracker with case summaries and updates, but it is subject- and time-limited by the types of actions it follows (Just Security tracker p1_s1). AP News describes “hundreds” of suits filed challenging the administration in 2025 and notes varied outcomes, without tallying a single win/loss number (AP News tracker p1_s8). These differences in scope and counting rules explain why raw totals vary across outlets [1] [2].
2. Headline “93% lost” claim — source and limits
Multiple advocacy and summary pieces cite a 93% loss rate for the Trump administration on agency actions; that figure is attributed to the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU and is repeated by Democracy Forward and other outlets (Democracy Forward citing Institute for Policy Integrity [3]; LawShun repeating the 93% figure and attribution p1_s5). That metric appears limited to agency rulemaking and Administrative Procedure Act (APA) challenges and thus does not represent every lawsuit against the administration (Democracy Forward frames it as failures when “agency actions have been challenged in court,” typically APA cases p1_s4). Available sources do not provide the Institute’s full methodology here, so the 93% number should be read as method-specific rather than an overall “court record” across all case types [3] [4].
3. Snapshot adjudications vs. ongoing docket: few fully resolved early on
The Fulcrum provided a concrete snapshot noting that out of 186 legal actions filed since January 2025, only four cases had been adjudicated at that time, with a 2–2 split in outcomes (two rulings for and two against the administration) — illustrating that many matters remain pending and that early loss-rate calculations can be volatile (The Fulcrum: four adjudicated, two favorable/two against p1_s6). Reuters and other press accounts show major Supreme Court emergency and merits interventions — wins and losses alike — underscoring that high-profile rulings may not reflect the broader, lower-court docket (Reuters on Supreme Court cases and mixed outcomes [9]5).
4. Why a single “lost count” is elusive right now
Different trackers count different things (national security actions, agency rule challenges, civil-rights or union suits), they use different rules for pairing district and appellate filings, and many cases are stayed, appealed, or remain at preliminary injunction stages (Lawfare’s counting method [1]; Just Security’s tracker scope [9]; AP on hundreds and ongoing appeals p1_s8). In addition, advocacy groups and legal nonprofits track the subset of suits most relevant to their missions — for example, NAACP LDF tracking specific civil-rights challenges — which produces variant subsets rather than an aggregate government-wide tally (NAACP LDF tracker [9]0).
5. What readers should take away — context and cautious interpretation
If you see headlines like “Trump lost X% of cases,” ask which universe of cases that percentage covers: APA/agency rule challenges, all federal suits, or a narrow subject area — and whether the counter treats district court rulings, stays, appeals, and emergency orders as final losses (Democracy Forward/Institute figure tied to APA cases [3]; Fulcrum’s small adjudicated sample shows early figures can flip p1_s6). Major outlets and trackers (AP, Lawfare, Just Security, The Fulcrum, Reuters) document substantial litigation activity and mixed outcomes; none of the provided sources offers a single authoritative, court‑wide loss tally covering every filed matter (AP: “hundreds” [2]; Lawfare: 241 active national-security cases [1]; The Fulcrum: 186 actions with few adjudicated p1_s6).
6. If you want a more definitive number — where to look and what to ask
To produce an authoritative count you would need: [5] a clear definition of “case” (district plus appeals grouped or separate), [6] the date range and subject-matter scope, and [7] a list of included dockets from a comprehensive tracker (e.g., PACER data combined with methodologically transparent coding like the Institute for Policy Integrity’s work, which some outlets cite) — those specifics are not disclosed in the provided sources, so available reporting cannot produce a single definitive loss count here [3] [1] [2].