4th Circuit Scorecard: The Trump Administration's Wins and Losses Before the Appellate Courts

Things aren't looking so hot in the 2nd Circuit either, where the administration has only notched one win to the challengers' five, although quite a few of the 2nd Circuit cases are still in the briefing stage, so we could see that ratio change. The 3rd Circuit currently sports a two-to-one advantage for the administration.

READ MORE: 1st Circuit Scorecard: How the Trump Administration Is Faring Before the Appellate Courts

2nd and 3rd Circuit Scorecard: How the Trump Administration Is Faring Before the Appellate Courts

Geographical and Judicial Makeup

Now, we turn our attention to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals — one of the busier circuits when it comes to litigation involving the Trump administration, given that its appellate jurisdiction includes Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Of the 15 active judges, eight are Democrat appointees, and seven are Republican appointees, with three of those being Trump appointees.  

Explanatory Notes

As with the previous installments, some caveats/clarifications are warranted:

• This list may not be comprehensive — it's possible I've missed a stray case here or there, though I've done my best to keep up with them all, particularly at the appellate level.
• These rulings are largely procedural in nature, rather than on the merits.
• In some instances, the same case has gone before the 4th Circuit more than once, or a prior ruling has been followed by a petition for rehearing en banc — each of the court's rulings is counted separately.
• In other instances, two or more cases may have been consolidated on appeal — a ruling is counted once for each case, even if they're included in the same opinion/order.
• Some of these cases have already made at least one trip to the Supreme Court, but the tallies below are based purely on how the 4th Circuit has ruled. 
• The cases are arranged chronologically (based on when the initial lawsuit was filed).
• The same  ✅, ❌, and ↔️ signifiers will be used to indicate a "win," "loss," or "draw" for the administration. 

4th Circuit Scorecard

As noted above, the 4th Circuit has been quite busy with Trump administration cases (largely compliments of rulings out of the Maryland District court, and some out of the Eastern District of Virginia). Having not yet looked at the rundown, just for fun, I'm going to make a prediction of a 20 percent success rate for the administration. Let's see how I did: 

1. Casa Inc. v. Trump — (birthright citizenship) — This one's part of a multi-circuit trio (including State of New Jersey v. Trump (1st Circuit) and State of Washington v. Trump (9th Circuit)) which made its way up the Supreme Court in the 2024 term and resulted in a ruling regarding nationwide injunctions. Casa comes to us from Maryland, where District Court Judge Deborah Boardman granted plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction in early February. 1) The administration appealed and sought a partial stay from the 4th Circuit, which denied that request. The case went up to the Supreme Court, which granted a partial application for stay and issued an opinion regarding the proper scope of injunctions. Boardman later granted plaintiffs' motion to certify a class and entered a second injunction as to all class members in August. 2) The administration appealed that order, and that second appeal is in the preliminary, briefing stage, so no ruling yet. 

1. Score: ❌ Administration - 0; Challengers - 1
2. Score: ↔️ Administration - 0; Challengers - 1

2. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends v. DHS — (immigration enforcement — schools and places of worship) — Maryland District Court Judge Theodore Chuang partially granted plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction in February. The administration appealed. The case is still in the briefing stage. 

Score: ↔️ Administration - 0; Challengers - 1

3. National Ass’n of Diversity Officers in Higher Ed. v. Trump — (ban on DEIA initiatives) — Maryland District Court Judge Adam Abelson partially granted plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction. The administration appealed. The 4th Circuit granted the administration's motion for stay pending appeal. The case was argued before the 4th Circuit on September 11, but no ruling has been issued yet. 

Score: ✅ Administration - 1; Challengers - 1

4. PFLAG, Inc. v. Donald J. Trump — (ban on "gender affirming care" for individuals under the age of 19) — Maryland District Court Judge Brendan Hurson granted plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction. The administration appealed. This one is still in the briefing stage. 

Score: ↔️ Administration - 1; Challengers - 1

5. American Federation of Teachers v. Bessent — (disclosure of personal financial records to DOGE) — This one's another two-parter: Maryland District Court Judge Deborah Boardman granted plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction. The administration appealed. 1) The 4th Circuit granted the administration's motion for stay pending appeal. 2) The case was argued before the 4th Circuit in May, and in August, the court ruled in favor of the administration, vacating the district court's injunction. The plaintiffs petitioned for rehearing en banc, but the court has not yet ruled on that. 

1. Score: ✅ Administration - 2; Challengers - 1
2. Score: ✅ Administration - 3; Challengers - 1

6. Does 1-26 v. Musk — (establishment of DOGE) — Maryland District Court Judge Theodore Chuang partially granted plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction. The administration appealed. The 4th Circuit granted the administration's motion for stay pending appeal. 

Score: ✅ Administration - 4; Challengers - 1

7. Doe 1 v. ODNI — (ban on DEIA initiatives) — Eastern District of Virginia Judge Anthony Trenga partially granted plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction. The administration appealed. This one is set for oral argument on December 10, 2025, so no ruling yet. 

Score: ↔️ Administration - 4; Challengers - 1

8. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO v. SSA — (disclosure of personal financial records to DOGE) — Maryland District Court Judge Ellen Hollander granted plaintiffs' motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO). 1) The administration appealed, but the 4th Circuit dismissed that appeal for lack of jurisdiction. Hollander then granted plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction, and the administration again appealed. 2) The 4th Circuit denied the administration's motion for stay pending appeal. The case was argued before the 4th Circuit on September 11, 2025, but no ruling has been issued yet. 

1. Score: ❌ Administration - 4; Challengers - 2
2. Score: ❌ Administration - 4; Challengers - 3

9. American Federation of Teachers v. U.S. Department of Education — (Education Department "Dear Colleague" letter) — Maryland District Court Judge Stephanie Gallagher granted plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment in August. The administration has now appealed that ruling, but the appeal is still in the early stages.

Score: ↔️ Administration - 4; Challengers - 3

10. American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education v. McMahon — (ban on DEIA initiatives) — Maryland District Court Judge Julie Rubin partially granted plaintiffs' motion for a TRO. The administration appealed. The 4th Circuit granted the administration's motion for stay pending appeal.

Score: ✅ Administration - 5; Challengers - 3

11. State of Maryland v. United States Department of Agriculture — (large-scale reductions in force) — This one's a three-parter: Maryland District Court Judge James Bredar granted plaintiffs' motion for TRO. 1) The administration appealed, and the 4th Circuit denied the administration's motion for stay pending appeal. Bredar subsequently granted plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction. 2) The administration appealed, and the 4th Circuit granted the administration's motion for stay pending appeal. 3) Oral argument was held before the 4th Circuit in May, and in September, the court held that the plaintiff states did not have standing to bring the suit and vacated the district court's injunction and ordered the case dismissed.

1. Score: ❌ Administration - 5; Challengers - 4
2. Score: ✅ Administration - 6; Challengers - 4
3. Score: ✅ Administration - 7; Challengers - 4

12. Suri v. Trump — (habeas corpus) — Eastern District of Virginia Judge Patricia Giles initially ordered that plaintiff could not be removed from the U.S. and subsequently ordered his release from custody. The administration appealed both orders. The 4th Circuit denied the administration's motion for stay pending appeal and request for writ of mandamus. 

Score: ❌ Administration - 7; Challengers - 5

13. The Sustainability Institute v. Trump — (executive orders re: energy, DEI, and DOGE) — South Carolina District Court Judge Richard Gergel granted plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction. The administration appealed. The 4th Circuit granted the administration's motion for stay pending appeal. 

Score: ✅ Administration - 8; Challengers - 5

14. Abrego Garcia v. Noem — (habeas corpus/removal to El Salvador/fear of persecution) — This one's had probably the most convoluted procedural history of all, but some of that doesn't involve the 4th Circuit, so we'll try to keep this as short, sweet, and to the point as possible. Maryland District Court Judge Paula Xinis has issued a series of orders, including TROs and an injunction, and an order clarifying a prior order (after the Supreme Court weighed in). The administration has appealed to the 4th Circuit twice. In both instances, the 4th Circuit has denied the administration's motions for stay pending appeal. 

1. Score: ❌ Administration - 8; Challengers - 6
2. Score: ❌ Administration - 8; Challengers - 7

15. J.O.P. v. DHS — (habeas corpus/removal to El Salvador/fear of persecution) — This one — also a two-parter — is actually a 2019 case, but one petitioner (Cristian) was removed to El Salvador in March pursuant to AEA; and "Javier" was/is about to be removed. Maryland District Court Judge Stephanie Gallagher granted plaintiffs' motion to enforce a prior judgment, and the administration appealed. The 4th Circuit denied the motion for stay pending appeal. Gallagher then granted plaintiffs' motion for attorney fees, which the administration also appealed. That one is still in the early stages/being briefed.

1. Score: ❌ Administration - 8; Challengers - 8
2. Score: ↔️ Administration - 8; Challengers - 8

16. CASA v. Noem — (termination of TPS status) — Maryland District Court Judge Theodore Chuang denied the parties' cross motions for summary judgment. The plaintiffs appealed. The 4th Circuit denied plaintiffs' request for injunctive relief pending appeal. The plaintiffs subsequently voluntarily dismissed their appeal. 

Score: ✅ Administration - 9: Challengers - 8

17. Boyle v. Trump — (removal of independent agency leaders) — Maryland District Court Judge Matthew Maddox granted plaintiff's motion for summary judgment. The administration appealed. The 4th Circuit denied the administration's motion for stay pending appeal. 

Score: ❌ Administration - 9: Challengers - 9

18. City of Columbus v. Kennedy — (transfer of Medicaid data to DHS) — Maryland District Court Judge Brendan Hurson granted (in part) plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction. The administration appealed. The 4th Circuit denied the administration's motion for stay pending appeal. 

Score: ❌ Administration - 9: Challengers - 10

19. Fairfax County School Board v. McMahon — (challenging "High Risk Status" for dept. funds over Title IX violations) — Eastern District of Virginia Judge Rossie Alston denied plaintiffs' motions for TRO and preliminary injunction and dismissed plaintiffs' claims. Plaintiffs appealed. The 4th Circuit denied plaintiffs' motion for stay pending appeal. 

Score: ✅ Administration - 10: Challengers - 10

20. Arlington School Board v. McMahon — (challenging "High Risk Status" for dept. funds over Title IX violations) — This one is a companion case to #19. Eastern District of Virginia Judge Rossie Alston denied plaintiffs' motions for TRO and preliminary injunction and dismissed plaintiffs' claims. Plaintiffs appealed. The 4th Circuit denied plaintiffs' motion for stay pending appeal. 

Score: ✅ Administration - 11: Challengers - 10

Okay, so...wow. I called that one wrong, didn't I? Rather than a 20 percent success rate, the Trump administration is enjoying a 52 percent success rate in the 4th Circuit. And I've been following these cases pretty closely! 

I guess that just goes to show that perception is not always reality. (Now I'm anxious to check out the score in the other circuits...)