WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Supreme Court delivered a key win to Donald Trump and future presidents by reducing the power of lower courts to block executive orders nationwide.
President Trump called the ruling a “big, amazing decision” and said the administration was “very happy about” the outcome. He described it as a major win for the constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law.
This ruling affects not only Trump’s move on birthright citizenship but also gives him more room to act on other policy changes that have faced similar legal hurdles.
The Supreme Court’s decision now allows the administration to move forward with plans to halt automatic citizenship for everyone born in the US, at least for now. The White House must now figure out how to put this policy in place, which could prove challenging.
The justices decided that Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship will go into effect in one month. However, lower courts still have the chance to limit its impact for those who have grounds to challenge it.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett
States handle birth certificate records, and most do not track the parents’ citizenship. Democratic-led states are unlikely to make changes quickly, regardless of the administration’s wishes.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who wrote the majority opinion, gave states the chance to argue for a broader block on the order if necessary. This leaves the door open for more legal disputes.
Barrett noted that states believe their financial and administrative problems, caused by citizen-dependent benefits programmes, need a complete halt on the executive order to be fixed. She said lower courts should decide if a more limited court order is better.
Trump called the court’s decision a “giant win” and said the “birthright citizenship hoax” had been strongly challenged. He also claimed the decision would help stop abuse of the immigration system.
Attorney General Pam Bondi noted that the Supreme Court will consider whether to end birthright citizenship during the next session in October. The court’s move to curb the reach of federal judges to issue nationwide orders has immediate and broad effects.
Presidents from both parties have often criticised federal district court judges for blocking executive actions and acts of Congress with sweeping orders.
Supreme Court Decision Empowers Trump
Birthright citizenship for children of undocumented migrants is at the heart of this case, but other Trump policies have also been delayed by lower-court rulings. Since Trump’s inauguration, the Congressional Research Service has recorded 25 such blocks up to April 29.
Following the court’s decision, Trump said his administration can now move forward with policies that have been stopped by the courts. Judges have halted the president’s cuts to foreign aid, diversity initiatives, employment policy changes, other immigration reforms and updates to election rules.
With this Supreme Court decision, the administration now has a stronger case to ask courts to let it continue with these actions.
Earlier, during Biden’s presidency, conservative judges stopped new environmental rules, student loan forgiveness and immigration reforms. Courts also blocked some of Barack Obama’s changes, including expanded overtime pay for certain workers and new legal status for some undocumented migrants.
In all these cases, courts can still step in when presidential actions break the law or the Constitution.
The Supreme Court wrote that lower courts should act quickly to make sure any orders follow these new rules and respect fairness.
That part of the process will play out in appeals courts and the Supreme Court. For now, presidents, whether Republican or Democrat, will have more time and freedom to carry out their policies.
