Overview

• The Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that lower federal judges may not issue nationwide preliminary injunctions extending beyond the parties before them.
• Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote that universal injunctions likely exceed the powers Congress granted to federal courts, reflecting the conservative majority’s view.
• The justices explicitly declined to rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s decree, focusing solely on the limits of lower courts’ injunctive authority.
• By lifting blanket blocks on the decree, the decision clears the way for the birthright citizenship restriction to become effective in 30 days amid ongoing legal challenges.
• In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that restricting nationwide injunctions endangers constitutional rights by leaving nonparties without court protection.