House Republicans Advance Plan to Rein in Judges’ Contempt Power

The House Judiciary Committee advanced a proposal to make it harder for judges to enforce their orders over protests from Democrats, as Republicans aim to curb judicial power in response to rulings against the administration.

The proposal—which moved forward late Wednesday night along party lines as part of the panel’s portion of a Republican sweeping tax and spending cuts package—would bar federal courts from holding individuals in contempt of court for violating an order unless the challengers had put up a financial security, or a money bond.

This would effectively limit the circumstances when judges could enforce their own orders ...