January 23

Trump creates digital asset working group and orders stablecoin framework review

On Jan. 23, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a federal working group on digital asset markets. The order directed agencies to recommend a regulatory framework for digital assets, including stablecoins, and named David Sacks as a central White House official in the process.

Trump pardons 23 anti-abortion protesters convicted under the FACE Act

Trump pardoned 23 individuals on January 23, 2025 convicted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a 1994 federal civil rights law protecting abortion clinic access. Lauren Handy, who led a 2020 Washington DC clinic blockade, received the longest sentence of 57 months; Jonathan Darnel received 34 months and Chester Gallagher 16 months for similar blockades. The pardons nullified federal FACE Act enforcement against this group and signaled the administration's intent to deprioritize prosecution of clinic access violations.

Senate Judiciary Bypasses ABA Vetting for Trump's Article III Judicial Nominees

The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee moved to process President Trump's federal judicial nominees without waiting for American Bar Association peer-review ratings — a break from decades of bipartisan precedent. The ABA's independent review has historically screened nominees for judicial temperament and professional qualifications. Critics warned sidelining the process would accelerate confirmation of ideologically loyal judges without independent competence review.

Labor Department Revokes Executive Order 11246, Stripping Protections for 36 Million Workers

The Trump administration revoked Executive Order 11246, a 1965 Lyndon Johnson-era order requiring federal contractors to implement affirmative action and prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The revocation eliminated non-discrimination requirements for federal contractors employing approximately 36 million workers — roughly one-quarter of the U.S. private workforce. Civil rights groups called it the most significant rollback of workplace anti-discrimination protections in 60 years.

Trump Claims NATO Allies 'Stayed Off Front Lines' in Afghanistan, Insulting 850 Dead Troops

President Trump publicly claimed NATO allies avoided frontline combat in Afghanistan, directly contradicting military records showing 850 allied troops died alongside Americans in the 20-year war. The remarks drew sharp rebukes from NATO member governments and veterans groups who called the claims historically false and diplomatically damaging. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to correct the record publicly, raising concerns about alliance cohesion.

Senate Democrats accept continuing resolution on DACA 3-day shutdown ends

On January 23, 2018, both chambers of Congress approve a stopgap measure funding the government for four weeks, ending the 3-day shutdown. Senate Democrats led by Chuck Schumer agree to end their filibuster after Republicans promise fresh negotiations on DACA protections within a newly revised continuing resolution. The measure allows the government to reopen while giving lawmakers time to negotiate an immigration compromise. However, the DACA promises prove elusive, and within weeks another funding lapse occurs, though briefly. The shutdown demonstrates Democratic willingness to use appropriations deadlines to force immigration negotiations, a tactic that succeeds in extracting Republican agreement to further talks but fails to deliver actual legislative protection for DACA beneficiaries.

Senate confirms Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair, 84-13

The Senate confirms Jerome H. Powell as the 16th Chair of the Federal Reserve System by an 84-13 vote, one of the broadest bipartisan majorities for any major Trump nominee. Powell, a Republican and former investment banker who has served as a Fed governor since 2012, takes over from Janet Yellen on Feb. 5, 2018. Powell wins broad bipartisan support by presenting himself as a pragmatist committed to the Fed's dual mandate and publicly committed to Fed independence from political pressure. (Senate Banking Committee, Jan. 23, 2018)

Supreme Court limits set-aside program in Croson

The Supreme Court rules in City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co. on January 23, 1989, striking down Richmond's minority business set-aside program for city contracts. The city had required some public contracting dollars to go to minority-owned firms. The Court says state and local racial classifications must face strict scrutiny and must be tied to specific evidence of past discrimination. The ruling makes race-conscious contracting programs harder to defend at the state and local level. The decision extends strict scrutiny beyond federal affirmative action programs.

Twenty-fourth Amendment bans poll taxes in federal elections

The Twenty-fourth Amendment is ratified on January 23, 1964, banning poll taxes in federal elections. Poll taxes had been used across the South to keep Black citizens and poor citizens from voting. The amendment does not immediately eliminate all poll taxes in state elections, but it marks a major constitutional rejection of one Jim Crow voting barrier. The Supreme Court later strikes down state poll taxes under the Equal Protection Clause. The amendment removes a financial barrier that helped enforce racial voter suppression for decades.