To close out its term, the Supreme Court fired off major decision after major decision this morning.
1 — Birthright citizenship:
The Supreme Court delivered President Trump a major win this morning, allowing his executive order to restrict birthright citizenship to go into effect in some areas of the country — at least for now.
Importantly, the high court's ruling limits the ability of federal judges across the country to issue nationwide injunctions blocking Trump's policies. The White House is thrilled (more below on that).
The ruling: 6-3, along ideological lines. Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson issued fiery dissent over the conservative court's decision.
But here's the thing: The court didn't weigh in on the constitutionality of Trump's executive order. Instead, the justices weighed in on whether three federal judges have the power to block Trump's order nationwide. The court ruled those judges went too far. But the administration has to wait 30 days before attempting to deny citizenship to anyone.
There are still legal challenges to the constitutionality of restricting birthright citizenship, so this may not be the end of the issue.
Trump took a victory lap: He called it a "GIANT WIN" in a quick social media post. He then held a press conference to celebrate what he hailed as a "monumental" ruling, praising Justice Amy Coney Barrett and giving a shout-out to each of the conservative justices by name.
"That was meant for the babies of slaves. It wasn't meant for people trying to scam the system and come into the country on a vacation," Trump said, referring to the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.
Attorney General Pam Bondi chimed in at the podium. "The judges have tried to cease the executive branch's power and they cannot do that. No longer," Bondi said, bashing "rogue" judges who she claims have "turned district courts into the imperial judiciary."
"Active liberal [judges] have used these injunctions to block virtually all of President Trump's policies," Bondi told reporters. 💻 Watch Trump's presser
Backstory: Trump issued an executive order restricting birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. with parents who do not have permanent legal status.
2 — Parent opt-out options for LGBTQ+ books:
The court sided with religious parents this morning, allowing parents of Maryland elementary school children to opt out of classroom discussions involving LGBTQ+-inclusive books.
The ruling: 6-3, along ideological lines. The three liberal justices dissented.
3 — Age verification for porn sites:
The Supreme Court ruled that Texas's age-verification law for porn websites *is* constitutional.
The ruling: 6-3, along ideological lines. The three liberal justices dissented.
The case: Texas has a law requiring porn sites to verify that users are at least 18 years old. The Supreme Court was weighing whether this law is a violation of the First Amendment. Twenty other states have similar laws, so this ruling could limit porn access.
4 — ObamaCare's preventative care requirements:
The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration in allowing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appoint and fire members of an ObamaCare task force.
The ruling: 6-3. Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the opinion.
The case: Is a task force created by ObamaCare that determines free preventative care services constitutional?
5 — Federal internet subsidies:
The court upheld a multibillion-dollar federal subsidy program to give internet to rural and poor Americans.
The ruling: 6-3. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the opinion. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented.
The case: The court weighed whether programs that bring high-speed internet to rural and poor communities are a violation of the separation of powers. Read more
❌ 6 — Racial redistricting:
The Supreme Court did *not* rule on this case and will rehear arguments next term.
The case: Can Louisiana continue to use its congressional map that includes two majority-Black districts, or is that unconstitutional racial gerrymandering? Read more on the case
📸 The cloudy, humid Supreme Court today
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