&w=3840&q=100)
How US Supreme Court's ruling that curbs judges' power benefits Trump
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington DC, June 27, 2025. Reuters
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.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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'.
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.'
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.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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'.
Mairelise Robinson, a pregnant US citizen, attends a protest in support of birthright citizenship, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, May 15, 2025. File Photo/AP
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.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
EAM S Jaishankar meets Russian President Putin in Moscow amid Trump's tariff fury
EAM S Jaishankar meets Russian President Putin in Moscow amid Trump's tariff fury Lavrov meets Wang, Kim; China, N Korea and Russia discuss Ukraine issue & Iranian nuclear threat Lavrov meets Wang, Kim; China, N Korea and Russia discuss Ukraine issue & Iranian nuclear threat Russian FM Sergei Lavrov meets Chinese counterpart Wang Yi; discuss ties with Ukraine, US Putin makes stopover in Magadan on his way to Alaska summit with Trump Putin makes stopover in Magadan on his way to Alaska summit with Trump Russian President Vladimir Putin's Full Speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok Russia-Ukraine ceasefire soon? Putin meets US envoy Steve Witkoff as Trump's peace deadline nears
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Himachal HC relief for suspended ASI who is ‘under 24×7 surveillance at police station'
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to immediately review the 'coercive' restrictions imposed on suspended Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Pankaj Sharma, who is being probed in connection with the death of HPPCL chief engineer Vimal Negi and is under constant surveillance at a police guest house in Shimla. A bench of Justice Ajay Mohan Goel ruled that security concerns 'must not infringe' upon the personal liberty guaranteed to a person under Article 21. The bench was hearing a writ petition filed by ASI Sharma, who alleged that despite being under suspension — and not in judicial or preventive custody — he was 'forcibly confined' to the Police Guest House at Kaithu Lines, Shimla. Shrama claimed he was being subjected to 24×7 surveillance, including armed guards and a CCTV camera was installed inside his room, in violation of his fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution. Justice Goel disposed of the writ petition with the direction that 'let the State forthwith review the present arrangement, so that it is ensured that whereas, in case, petitioner needs security, the same be provided to him, however, in a manner that does not curtail his Fundamental Rights, enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India'. 'Let needful be done, as expeditiously as possible and the petitioner be also allowed to meet his family forthwith, as has been prayed. Decision be taken with regard to his security etc. of the petitioner by taking the petitioner into confidence,' the bench further said. According to the writ petition, Sharma was suspended on May 19, four days before the investigation into Negi's death was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on May 23. Sharma was found involved in misplacing a pendrive recovered from the body of Negi. The chief engineer's body was found on March 18 at Bhakra Dam in Bilaspur, 10 days after Negi went missing from Shimla. Sharma contended that on May 24, then DGP issued formal directions to the then SP Shimla to provide round-the-clock security to him. Following these instructions, he was 'forcibly lodged' in Set No 1 of the Police Guest House, Kaithu, and placed under 24-hour watch. A police guard has been deputed continuously and a CCTV camera installed inside his room, thereby placing him under constant surveillance. In the petition, filed on July 26, Sharma sought quashing of the state's action, terming it 'illegal, arbitrary, and unconstitutional.' He also requested removal of the armed guard and CCTV camera, and permission to return to his government accommodation at Bharari, Shimla, where his family resides. Sharma, through Advocate MA Safee, argued that Rule 16.21 of the Punjab Police Rules, 1934 (as applicable to Himachal Pradesh) does not allow any custodial confinement or round-the-clock surveillance of a suspended officer. Advocate General Anup Rattan, for state government, contended that Sharma's confinement was based on 'threat perception,' considering the sensitivity of the case. However, he clarified that the State was willing to review the arrangement, especially since the investigation has now been taken over by the CBI. Counsel for the CBI, Advocate Janesh Mahajan, told the court that the alleged detention of the petitioner is not at the behest of the central agency and they have no objection if the State intends to review the arrangement. Disposing of the petition, the court directed the State to ensure that while necessary security is provided, it should not curtail the petitioner's fundamental rights. The court also ordered that Sharma be allowed to meet his family immediately and that any future security measures should be taken in consultation with him. 'There should be sanctity and seriousness in all actions taken by the State, and they must not infringe upon the personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21,' the court said. Notably, Sharma's wife has also lodged two DDRs against certain senior officers for allegedly putting her husband into the illegal confinement. The DDRs were lodged at two police stations in Shimla last month.
The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
First security guarantees, then Putin summit, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he could meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but only after his allies agree on security guarantees for Ukraine to deter future Russian attacks once the fighting stops. In comments released Thursday, he also warned that both sides were preparing for further fighting. Russia was building up troops on the southern front line and Ukraine was test-launching a new long-range cruise missile, he said. Russia said Thursday that Ukraine did not appear to be interested in "long-term" peace, accusing Kyiv of seeking security guarantees completely incompatible with Moscow's demands. U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to end Russia's three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine through talks with Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Putin. While he has upended a years-long Western policy of isolating the Russian leader, he has made little tangible progress towards a peace deal. "We want to have an understanding of the security guarantees architecture within seven to 10 days," Zelensky said, in comments to reporters released for publication Thursday. "We need to understand which country will be ready to do what at each specific moment," he added. A group of allies led by Britain and France are putting together a military coalition to support the guarantees. Fresh Russian barrage Once an outline of the security guarantees is agreed upon, Mr. Trump would like to see a bilateral meeting between Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader said. But any meeting with the Russian leader should he held in a "neutral" European country, he added, ruling out any summit in Moscow. He also rejected the idea of China playing a role in guaranteeing Ukraine's security, citing Beijing's alleged support for Moscow. Mr. Zelenskyy's comments came as Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight — the biggest barrage since mid-July — killing one person in the western city of Lviv and wounding many others. Russian missiles also targeted an American-owned factory complex in town of Mukachevo in the west of Ukraine, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on social media. That attack wounded 19 people, she added. President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine Andy Hunder said that the factory was "one of the largest American investments in Ukraine. "Russia continues to destroy and humiliate U.S. businesses in Ukraine, targeting companies that invest and trade on the US stock markets," Hunder said on Facebook. France on Thursday condemned the overnight strikes as showing Moscow's "lack of will to seriously engage in peace talks", describing them as the "most massive attack in a month". A later shelling of the city of Kherson killed one person and wounded more than a dozen, a local official said. Russia claims advances On the front lines, Russia said it had captured the village of Oleksandro-Shultyne in the eastern Donetsk region, the latest in a long string of territorial gains. The village lies less than eight kilometres (five miles) from Kostiantynivka, a fortified town in the Donetsk region that Russia has been pressing towards on both sides. In comments to journalists Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of making unrealistic security demands. Any deployment of European troops to the country would be "absolutely unacceptable", he said. Rhetorics of the Ukrainian officials "was directly showing that they are not interested in a sustainable, fair, long-term settlement," Lavrov added. Mr. Zelenskyy also announced that Ukraine had tested a long-range cruise missile, known as Flamingo, that can strike targets as far as 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) away. "The missile has undergone successful tests. It is currently our most successful missile," he told reporters. Mass production could begin by February, he added. Since Mr. Trump returned to the White House in January and began pushing for an end to the fighting, Russian forces have continued to slowly but steadily gain ground across the front line. Zelensky said Russian forces were building up troops along the front in the Zaporizhzhia region, which Moscow claims as its own -- along with four other Ukrainian regions. Trump met Putin in Alaska last Friday, before bringing Zelensky and European leaders to Washington for separate talks on Monday. Mr. Zelenskyy has said the only way to end the war is a meeting with Mr. Putin, and has said Mr. Trump should be present too. But Moscow has played down the prospect of a summit between Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy any time soon, saying it wants to be included in discussions on future security guarantees for Ukraine.
