In a 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of the Trump administration, limiting the ability of federal courts to issue nationwide injunctions.
The ruling came in a case centered on former President Trump's executive order, which aimed to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. to parents who entered illegally or were in the country on temporary visas.
The Court did not address whether Trump’s order violates the 14th Amendment or the Nationality Act. Instead, the majority opinion, authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, focused on the scope of judicial authority. “Universal injunctions likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts,” Barrett wrote.
The decision partially stayed the lower court rulings, allowing relief only for individual plaintiffs with standing. The Court sent the case back to lower courts for reconsideration, instructing them to apply traditional principles of equity.
While the executive order will not take effect for 30 days, providing time for further legal challenges, the ruling was hailed by Trump as a "monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers, and the rule of law." Appearing at a White House press briefing, he claimed the decision would strengthen his immigration policies by limiting the reach of court injunctions.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, standing alongside Trump, emphasized that the ruling does not address the merits of the citizenship order itself, which remain unresolved. She declined to discuss how the policy would be implemented going forward. Photo by Joe Ravi, Wikimedia commons.