The Supreme Court delivered a major victory to President Donald Trump on Friday, ruling 6-3 that federal district judges do not have the power to issue nationwide injunctions that block presidential orders — a move that undercuts left-wing efforts to obstruct Trump’s immigration agenda.
The ruling stems from legal challenges to Trump’s executive order targeting birthright citizenship — the practice of granting automatic U.S. citizenship to anyone born on American soil, regardless of the parents’ legal status. While the Court did not weigh in directly on the constitutionality of birthright citizenship, it did rule that Trump’s policy may go into effect in some parts of the country while legal battles continue elsewhere.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett authored the majority opinion, criticizing the lower courts that had blocked Trump’s order from taking effect nationwide.
“Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them,” Barrett wrote. “When a court concludes that the Executive Branch has acted unlawfully, the answer is not for the court to exceed its power, too.”
Barrett also took direct aim at Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissent, writing, “Justice Jackson decries an imperial Executive while embracing an imperial Judiciary.”
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Chief Justice John Roberts joined Barrett in the majority. Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson dissented.
Jackson, in a separate dissent, accused the Court of giving the president a free pass to violate constitutional rights so long as no one has yet sued. “The Court’s decision to permit the Executive to violate the Constitution with respect to anyone who has not yet sued is an existential threat to the rule of law,” she wrote.
Very sharp rebuke of Jackson’s dissent.
Last sentence ends: “law against anyone, anywhere.”
ACB majority opinion concludes: “JUSTICE JACKSON decries an imperial Executive while embracing an imperial Judiciary.” pic.twitter.com/CU9Ryss8rq— Philip Wallach (@PhilipWallach) June 27, 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the decision as a win for constitutional order and presidential authority.
“Today, the Supreme Court instructed district courts to STOP the endless barrage of nationwide injunctions against President Trump,” Bondi posted on X. “This Department of Justice will continue to zealously defend @POTUS’s policies and his authority to implement them.”
Today, the Supreme Court instructed district courts to STOP the endless barrage of nationwide injunctions against President Trump. This would not have been possible without tireless work from our excellent lawyers @TheJusticeDept and our Solicitor General John Sauer.
This…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) June 27, 2025
The ruling is expected to have major implications not only for Trump’s immigration reforms but also for future presidential authority, marking a clear shift away from activist judges who have increasingly used nationwide injunctions to freeze executive action.