Summary

  • The US Supreme Court issues a 6-3 ruling that will curb judges' power to block President Donald Trump's orders nationwide

  • Trump calls the decision a "giant win" and Attorney General Pam Bondi says it will stop the "endless barrage" of injunctions against the president's agenda

  • In a scathing dissent of the opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor says it is an "open invitation for the government to bypass the Constitution"

  • The case stems from President Trump's order to end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants

  • This ruling did not directly tackle the constitutionality of Trump's order, a case likely to end up before the top court at a later date

  • There is a conservative majority in the Supreme Court and Trump appointed three of the nine justices

Media caption,

Trump says ruling is "monumental" as he thanks Supreme Court

  1. What just happened?published at 18:33 British Summer Time

    Let's quickly recap what has happened today with the Supreme Court's ruling.

    • The US Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling that curbs judges' powers to block President Donald Trump's orders nationwide
    • The case stems from Trump's order to end the constitutional right of birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants
    • This will allow Trump's birthright citizenship order to partially go into effect in 30 days - after judges in lower courts had blocked it
    • In a sprawling briefing with the media, Trump called the ruling a "big amazing decision". Attorney General Pam Bondi says it will put a stop to "rogue justices" issuing injunctions against the president's agenda.
    • This ruling did not directly tackle the constitutionality of Trump's birthright citizenship order - so the case is likely to end up before the top court at a later date
    • For Context: There is a conservative majority in the Supreme Court, and Trump appointed three of the nine justices that decided today's ruling

  2. 'A very bad opinion for the rule of law' - legal expertpublished at 18:06 British Summer Time

    Robin Levinson King
    North America reporter

    Margo Schlanger, who teaches at University of Michigan and is the director of the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, slammed the Supreme Court's decision as "a very bad opinion for the rule of law".

    She pointed not only to the court's ruling today, which limited lower courts' ability to stop executive overreach, but also its ruling earlier this week, allowing migrants to be deported to third countries, despite a lower court injunction.

    What that did, she says, is allow the federal government to ignore lower-court rulings, essentially making the Supreme Court the only check on presidential authority.

    Combined, she says the two rulings are "a grab by the Supreme Court to say we are the decider".

    “What they both say is we are the only court that matters," she says.

  3. Trump's press conference takes meandering turnpublished at 17:53 British Summer Time

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the White House

    President Donald Trump speaks alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi(Right)Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    President Donald Trump speaks alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi

    Trump's news conference was ostensibly about today's Supreme Court announcement - but it turned into an impromptu press conference, driven in no small part by his good mood.

    "I love you," he remarked, smiling to a journalist who called on him to investigate Joe Biden and other members of the previous administration. "That's the best question I've ever had."

    Over nearly an hour, he covered a dizzying array of topics, including Iran, tariffs, education, Ukraine and the economy, among others.

    It was a classic example of Trump "flooding the zone" with news - reporters to my left and right were furiously typing into their laptops.

    He also weaved and deflected at various points during the briefinge, falling back on familiar talking points about immigration and the Biden administration.

  4. Trump wraps up briefing calling the ruling a 'tremendous win'published at 17:48 British Summer Time

    Trump has wrapped up his briefing, which lasted about an hour.

    It started with a focus on the Supreme Court decision but then covered tariffs, Iran, Africa and other topics. Trump says it's been a great week for his administration and today was a "tremendous win".

    He finishes by congratulating Pam Bondi, whom, he says, will go down in history as a "great" attorney general.

  5. Here's what's happened at Trump's briefing so farpublished at 17:46 British Summer Time

    President Trump's briefing has been going for more than an hour now. Here are a few highlights:

    • In opening remarks, Trump said the decision today was a "monumental victory for the constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law"
    • He said in recent months "radical left judges" have tried to overrule his powers as president, adding nationwide injunctions were a "grave threat to democracy"
    • Attorney General Bondi said the decision meant judges won't be able to stop Trump's policies
    • On the substantive issue of the constitutionality of Trump's order to ban birthright citizenship, Bondi said she is confident the court will rule in its favour when it comes back from recess in October
  6. 'This is not over' - NY attorney generalpublished at 17:35 British Summer Time

    New York State Attorney General Letitia James has described the ruling as “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".

    New York was among the 19 states that joined the suit against the Trump administration's executive order.

    “Every child born on US 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," she says.

    “This is not over," she says. "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.”

  7. Another big legal battle is loomingpublished at 17:32 British Summer Time

    Anthony Zurcher
    North America correspondent

    While the White House and the president celebrate the top court's ruling today, we're looking into what could happen in those 30 days when the birthright citizenship order could go into effect.

    Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the majority, left the door open for states to make the case that a more broad block on Trump's birthright citizenship action is necessary.

    That sets up big legal battles to come.

    "As the States see it, their harms — financial injuries and the administrative burdens flowing from citizen-dependent benefits programs — cannot be remedied without a blanket ban on the enforcement of the Executive Order," Barrett wrote.

    "The lower courts should determine whether a narrower injunction is appropriate, so we leave it to them to consider these and any related arguments."

  8. Trump claims birthright citizenship used by cartels to get 'bad people in'published at 17:18 British Summer Time

    We're back onto birthright citizenship, which Trump claims without offering evidence that "the cartels have used to get very bad people in".

    For context, birthright citizenship refers to the right that almost everyone born on US territory is granted automatic citizenship. Immigration hardliners argue that the policy, external is a "great magnet for illegal immigration".

  9. Who would vet birthright citizenships?published at 17:16 British Summer Time

    Pam Bondi is seen from the side profile, she has blonde, long hair. Trump is seen in the background.Image source, Reuters

    As the briefing continues, a reporter asks Attorney General Bondi who would vet birthright citizenships, if Trump was to get his way.

    She is asked if an undocumented baby would be an enforcement priority.

    Bondi says litigation will come in the future. She then pivots to talking about the Biden administration's immigration measures.

  10. Everyone has to follow the law - including judges, says Vancepublished at 17:15 British Summer Time

    As Trump continues to speak, we can bring Vice-President JD Vance's reaction to today's decision.

    He says the court's decision is "a huge ruling by the Supreme Court, smacking down the ridiculous process of nationwide injunctions. Under our system, everyone has to follow the law--including judges!"

  11. Watch: Trump after top court curbs judges' power to block his orderspublished at 17:13 British Summer Time

    President Donald Trump celebrates the Supreme Court ruling to curb judges' powers to block the president's executive orders.

    Media caption,

    Trump's remarks after Supreme Court curbs judges' power to block his orders

  12. Trump moves to tariffs in Supreme Court briefingpublished at 17:09 British Summer Time

    What began as a briefing on the Supreme Court decision has now become a wide-ranging Q and A with the president, as it often does.

    He is now talking about tariffs. We will be sticking to the Supreme Court news and will let you know when the discussion returns to that decision.

  13. Trump says he must 'act very quickly' to implement his policiespublished at 17:06 British Summer Time

    Reporters in audience while president stands at podiumImage source, Getty Images

    President Trump is back at the podium taking questions from reporters.

    He calls the Supreme Court decision one that's for "common sense".

    He says legal cases can get caught up in courts for years, and he has to "act very quickly" to implement his policies.

  14. Bondi says birthright citizenship to be decided in Octoberpublished at 17:05 British Summer Time

    Journalists are now asking questions.

    Bondi is being asked when the ruling on birthright citizenship will be - she says it will be decided in October in the next session of the Supreme Court.

    She adds that they are "very confident" in the top court.

  15. Analysis

    The White House will be feeling triumphant this weekpublished at 17:00 British Summer Time

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the White House

    President Donald Trump, joined by U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaks on recent Supreme Court rulings in the briefing room at the White HouseImage source, Getty Images

    This is a victory lap for the White House at the end of what they very clearly see as a strong week, starting with the air strikes on Iran and ending with today's decision in the Supreme Court.

    Trump's brief initial comments made clear that he sees the decision as having removed an obstacle - and that he now feels more emboldened to carry out his policy objectives.

    The mood at the White House is usually fairly serious - but Trump appears to have just shot a smile at reporters.

    To his right, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is smiling and nodding. She is sitting near to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

  16. 'Rogue' judges can't strike down Trump's policies, says US Attorney Generalpublished at 16:59 British Summer Time

    Woman at podiumImage source, Getty Images

    Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi is at the podium now.

    She says "rogue justices" will no longer be "striking down" Trump's policies after the Supreme Court's decision.

  17. Birthright citizenship not meant for modern day circumstances, says Trumppublished at 16:56 British Summer Time

    Trump says he will promptly file to proceed with numerous policies that had been hit by injunctions.

    "Thanks for this decision and thanks to this decision" Trump says his administration can move forward.

    He specifically mentions birthright citizenship and says it "was meant for the babies of slaves", adding not for the modern day circumstances.

  18. Trump thanks Supreme Court justicespublished at 16:54 British Summer Time

    Trump says he is "grateful" to the Supreme Court, as he goes on to thank individual judges for their decision.

    It is worth noting that Trump appointed three of the nine justices in the top court - Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

    "We can now properly file to proceed with policies that have been wrongly enjoined," he adds.

  19. Trump calls nationwide injunctions 'threat to democracy'published at 16:53 British Summer Time

    The US president says it has been "an amazing period of time" this past hour.

    He says in recent months "radical left judges" have tried to overrule his powers as president, adding nationwide injunctions were a "grave threat to democracy".

  20. Trump calls ruling 'big, amazing decision'published at 16:51 British Summer Time

    Man at podiumImage source, Getty Images

    President Trump is up at the White House briefing room podium.

    He calls it a "big, amazing decision" which the administration is "very happy about".

    Trump calls it a "monumental victory for the constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law".