By a vote of 6-3, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority handed a major win to President Trump by ruling that federal judges cannot impose nationwide restrictions on the president carrying out Executive Orders. The justices ruled that when a federal judge imposes an injunction to halt an action by the president, even one obviously illegal or unconstitutional, that restriction can only apply to individuals who have filed a lawsuit to block the action. The injunction cannot be nationwide, the conservative justices decided, and cannot be used to protect individuals who would be impacted by the policy but did not take part in a court action..
The decision came in a case involving Trump’s Executive Order that declared an end to the provision of the U.S. Constitution that guarantees citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. Three separate federal judges had blocked Trump’s ordering an end to the citizenship right that is guaranteed by the Constitution. The judges actions applied nationwide until the Supreme Court ruling of June 27 that says they no longer apply to protect everyone.
The Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of the case that challenged Trump’s rewrite of the Constitution and made ti clear that they were not addressing whether Trump’s Executive Order was constitutional. They made it clear that they were only ruling on the power of federal judges to take actions that would apply on a national basis.
New York’s Attorney General Letitia James said of the Supreme Court ruling, “Today’s decision is a profound and disappointing setback for the families who now face tremendous uncertainty and danger, for the millions of people who rely on the courts to protect their constitutional rights, and for the fundamental rule of law.
“Every child born on U.S. soil is a citizen of this country, no matter which state they are born in. This has been the law of the land for more than a century.
“This is not over. While I am confident that our case defending birthright citizenship will ultimately prevail, my heart breaks for the families whose lives may be upended by the uncertainty of this decision. My fellow attorneys general and I will continue to defend the Constitution and the common values that unite us.”
New YorkGov. Kathy Hochul said,“The Supreme Court just made it easier for Donald Trump to impose unconstitutional, dangerous and un-American policies. Let’s be clear: birthright citizenship is a constitutional right, and nothing in today’s decision changes that. Immigrants and their families are the backbone of our communities and a vital part of New York’s identity. I will continue to use every tool at my disposal to protect them from the cruelty coming out of Washington.”
