Overview
- The court is in decision season and is expected to issue rulings soon on four high‑stakes cases testing President Trump’s agenda: his day‑one executive order on birthright citizenship, his attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, his removal of FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, and the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians.
- Oral arguments left many justices skeptical of the birthright‑citizenship executive order, with questions focusing on whether it violates the 14th Amendment and federal law.
- Justices expressed strong concern about endorsing a president’s power to oust a Fed governor, while conservative justices signaled they might accept expanding removal authority for other independent agencies in the FTC case; the court already allowed Slaughter’s removal to proceed during litigation.
- President Trump intensified public pressure on the court on May 21 by calling a ruling against his birthright policy “a disgrace” and urging the justices he appointed to uphold his actions.
- A set of rulings favoring the administration could shift power from independent agencies to the White House and prompt large‑scale effects on immigration status for hundreds of thousands of people who have TPS, while decisions against the administration would preserve existing legal protections and agency independence.