Supreme Court term ends with Trump's tariffs and birthright citizenship order struck down, but executive power expanded
The US Supreme Court concluded a consequential term by invalidating President Trump's tariffs and birthright citizenship order, while simultaneously handing him sweeping new authority over federal agencies and immigration enforcement.
A consequential term
The Supreme Court wrapped up its term on Tuesday, issuing decisions in nearly 60 cases. The six-justice conservative supermajority delivered long-sought wins for the conservative legal movement, while at times checking President Trump's most boundary-pushing policies.
Trump's high-profile losses
An ideologically diverse coalition invalidated the president's sweeping tariffs on imports from nearly every trading partner. The court also decisively rejected Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship for babies born to undocumented immigrants and temporary visitors, a policy that cut against more than 125 years of precedent. And the justices blocked Trump from immediately firing Federal Reserve governor Lisa D. Cook over unproven allegations.
Too bad for our country.
Expanding presidential power
Despite those setbacks, the conservative majority overruled a 90-year-old precedent, clearing the way for presidents to fire leaders of independent agencies over policy disagreements. The 6-to-3 ruling upends the structure of the federal government and weakens Congress's ability to restrain the president. It raises questions about whether agencies regulating labor, elections, communications, and the environment will continue to operate independently.
The headline might be 'Court checks Trump,' but the through line is a concentration of power towards the presidency, towards the court itself and away from Congress, federal agencies and voters.
Immigration and voting rights
The court affirmed broad presidential authority over immigration enforcement, siding with the administration on limiting amnesty and stripping temporary protected status from hundreds of thousands of immigrants. It also made it more difficult for refugees to claim protection. Separately, the conservative majority significantly narrowed the Voting Rights Act, enabling Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps and dismantle majority-Black districts ahead of the midterm elections.
The Fed exception
In a notable carve-out, the court shielded the Federal Reserve's independence by blocking the immediate firing of Governor Cook. The decision preserved the central bank's ability to set monetary policy free from direct political pressure, even as other independent agencies lost their insulation.
There will be occasional deviations, but I think this is a very strong, very conservative court with the broadest conception of presidential power that we have ever seen.
