US supreme court limits federal judges’ power to block Trump orders

Washington: In a major shift limiting judicial power, the US Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in favor of former President Donald Trump’s bid to restrict federal courts from issuing nationwide injunctions. The ruling weakens the ability of lower courts to block presidential actions across the country — a tool previously used to halt Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship. Under the decision, trial court rulings will now apply only to the specific plaintiffs involved, not the entire nation. While the justices did not rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order denying citizenship to children born in the US to undocumented parents, the court granted the administration a partial win. The ruling, authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, delays implementation of Trump’s order by 30 days. Immigration rights groups like Casa and Asap have since filed emergency motions to block enforcement and refiled broader class-action suits to protect affected families. Trump hailed the verdict as a victory for executive authority, saying, “This allows us to move forward on key policies.” But liberal justices, including Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, sharply dissented, warning that the decision undermines the rule of law and allows unconstitutional actions to impact unprotected individuals. Advocates stress that birthright citizenship, enshrined in the 14th Amendment since 1868, remains intact — for now. Democratic attorneys general have vowed to continue challenging Trump’s policy in court.