U.S. Judge orders Trump administration to justify lethal boat strikes

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to provide the legal justification for U.S. military strikes against boats suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific waters within 14 days.

U.S. District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer requested that the Department of Justice deliver the September 2025 memorandum from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) privately. This document reportedly analyzes the president's authority to order lethal attacks or drone strikes. The judge also demanded a complete database detailing who has accessed the document, when they accessed it, for what purpose, and the justification for their access.

The legal action follows a lawsuit filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) after the government failed to respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Since September 2025, the administration has conducted over seventy attacks against suspected drug-trafficking vessels, resulting in at least 230 deaths.