Overview

• The court held that district judges cannot issue injunctions blocking policies nationwide, confining relief to specific plaintiffs and jurisdictions.
• Justice Jackson accused the majority of hastening the “downfall of our governmental institutions” and empowering an “imperial Executive” in her dissent.
• Justice Barrett’s majority opinion rebuked Jackson’s arguments as untethered from two centuries of precedent and cautioned against an “imperial Judiciary.”
• Justices from opposing ideological camps, including recent exchanges between Jackson, Barrett and Gorsuch, have clashed over the court’s role in interpreting statutes.
• Commentators warn that the pointed language and personal rebukes mark one of the most acrimonious end-of-term sessions in years, raising concerns about the court’s civility.