How US Supreme Court’s ruling that curbs judges’ power benefits Trump

The United States Supreme Court has handed a “giant win” to President Donald Trump by curbing the authority of individual judges. In a ruling that will have a major impact on the Trump administration’s move to end birthright citizenship, the top court on Friday (June 27) made it easier for the Republican leader to implement his contentious policies.

The ruling curbs the ability of lone judges to block Trump’s powers nationwide. We take a look at how the US Supreme Court’s verdict has broadened the powers of the president.

What did US Supreme Court rule?

The US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 majority, ruled that federal judges do not have the authority to grant nationwide injunctions. This effectively curbs the lower courts’ ability to block executive orders.

The case stems from Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship , a constitutional right in the US.

At the White House briefing on Friday, Trump called the verdict a “tremendous win”. He said the US administration is “very happy about” the “big, amazing decision”.

More from Explainers

Trump hails ‘giant win’ as Supreme Court limits judges’ ability to block executive orders US Supreme Court chief cautions against political rhetoric targeting judges

It was a “monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law”, the US president added.

American Attorney General Pam Bondi, who flanked Trump at the podium, said the ruling will put an end to “rogue judges striking down President Trump’s policies across the entire nation.”

Democrats rebuked the Supreme Court’s decision, with Senate Leader Chuck Schumer calling it a “terrifying step toward authoritarianism.”

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, wrote the majority opinion. “Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch,” she said.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who authored the dissent opinion for the three liberal justices, called the ruling “nothing less than an open invitation for the government to bypass the Constitution.”

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

Ghaziabad woman dead, pilgrims attacked in bus… How Nepal’s Gen-Z protests turned into a living hell for Indian tourists

Were bodyguards involved in Charlie Kirk’s shooting? The many conspiracies surrounding the killing

Trump said he will move ahead with “so many policies” that had been “wrongly” blocked, putting into focus his administration’s bid to end birthright citizenship.

He also rejected concerns that the high court’s ruling would lead to the concentration of power in the White House. “This is really the opposite of that. This really brings back the Constitution,” Trump said.

What is birthright citizenship?

Birthright citizenship makes any person born on US soil an American citizen, including children born to parents who illegally entered the country.

“All persons born or naturalised in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States,” according to the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment.

The right has been an integral part of the US law for over a century.

Trump has long taken exception to birthright citizenship, describing it as a “hoax”. After Friday’s ruling, he said the decision would prevent “scamming of our immigration process”.

In January, soon after returning to the White House, Trump signed an executive order to deny citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants and some temporary residents and visitors.

The executive order read, “the Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.”

Immigrant rights groups, representing American newborns and their migrant parents, sued the Trump administration. As many as 22 states also urged federal judges to block Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship.

Three federal district court judges separately blocked Trump’s order and issued universal injunctions that prevented the enforcement of the order across the nation.

The US administration then approached the Supreme Court to block universal injunctions altogether.

How Supreme Court’s ruling expands Trump’s power

The top court has expanded the authority of the US president with its ruling, which is set to limit the power of lower court federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions.

This will have wider ramifications for not just the birthright citizenship case but also other controversial policies that the Trump administration wants to push.

Steven Schwinn, a law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, told AFP that the court’s ruling “sharply undermines the power of federal courts to rein in lawless actions by the government.”

Lower courts have blocked Trump’s cuts to foreign assistance, diversity programmes, stopped funding for transgender people, limited the president’s ability to terminate government employees, and paused his other immigration reforms.

Now, the new ruling has put the US administration at an advantage, allowing it to ask courts to go ahead with many of these orders.

The court’s decision has “systematically weakened judicial oversight and strengthened executive discretion,” Paul Rosenzweig, an attorney who served in Republican President George W Bush’s administration, told Reuters. 

The apex court’s verdict means it is effectively the only check on presidential authority.

As per the Friday ruling, judges can typically grant relief only to the individuals or groups that brought a particular lawsuit.

Now, the birthright citizenship case will return to lower courts, where judges will have to issue orders in compliance with the high court ruling, as per Associated Press (AP). The courts have 30 days to review their nationwide injunctions.

Notably, Friday’s ruling did not directly address the constitutionality of Trump’s birthright citizenship order. So, the case is likely to come before the top court at a later date, noted BBC.

Not just Trump, but the Supreme Court’s ruling will have ramifications for the ability of the judiciary to rein in even future US presidents.

With inputs from agencies