President Donald Trump took a victory lap on Friday after the Supreme Court made a significant decision limiting the ability of lower court judges to issue nationwide injunctions against his executive order aimed at effectively ending birthright citizenship.
Entering the White House briefing room, Trump hailed the 6-3 court ruling as a ‘monumental win,’ highlighting its importance. However, the Supreme Court did not explicitly address the constitutionality of his executive order, allowing ongoing legal challenges to progress.
Attorney General Pam Bondi noted that the court would rule on the merits of Trump’s Day 1 order in its next term, which begins this coming October.
While Trump celebrated the ruling, both he and Bondi acknowledged the implications of the court’s conservative majority in restricting lower courts’ power to halt presidential policies nationwide. Justice Amy Coney Barrett emphasized that only the Supreme Court should be able to provide universal relief.
Nationwide injunctions have been a focal point of tension between Trump’s administration and the judiciary, as various district court judges have blocked several of the president’s policies, covering issues from immigration to federal funding freezes.
Trump stated, ‘I was elected on a historic mandate,’ and criticized what he described as a few radical judges attempting to undermine the powers vested in the presidency by blocking the policies for which the American people voted in record numbers.
He viewed the judicial actions as a ‘grave threat to democracy.’ Expressing gratitude to Justice Barrett for her opinion, which contributed to the ruling, Trump remarked on her capable writing.
Barrett’s stance has faced some backlash from conservatives for occasionally diverging from Trump’s views after he nominated her. When asked about this criticism, Trump maintained his respect for her, asserting, ‘I just have great respect for her.’
Despite the ruling, Trump persisted in advocating for his Day 1 executive order, which seeks to deny citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to unauthorized immigrants or those in the country under temporary status.
So far, district court judges have contended that Trump’s proposal appears in direct conflict with the 14th Amendment and existing legal precedents surrounding such issues.
The administration argues that granting birthright citizenship incentivizes illegal immigration, with Trump suggesting, ‘They used birthright citizenship, some of the worst people, some of the cartels, to get people into our country.’
Democrats quickly condemned the court’s ruling with a strong backlash. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer characterized it as a ‘green light’ for Trump to ‘unravel the foundations of American democracy.’
He termed the Supreme Court’s decision to limit the authority of district courts as ‘an unprecedented and terrifying step toward authoritarianism,’ emphasizing the threat it poses to democratic processes.
In his criticism, Schumer claimed that despite the court’s ruling, the question of constitutionality regarding the ending of birthright citizenship remains unaddressed, dubbing the decision an unfortunate concession to an overreaching executive branch.
Similarly, Senator Adam Schiff described the day as a ‘dark day for our democracy,’ echoing concerns expressed by others regarding the implications of the ruling on constitutional balances of power.
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