Trump Foes May Bring More Class-Action Suits. How Do They Work?
The 6-3 ruling came as federal judges have issued dozens of injunctions blocking several key parts of President Trump's agenda, including his administration's attempts to freeze federal funds and to limit birthright citizenship via executive order.
The birthright citizenship issue is the one that prompted the Supreme Court ruling, which says district court judges can't bar the government from taking an action against people who were not part of the particular lawsuit. Judges may grant relief only to the specific plaintiffs in the case before them.
But the court didn't completely close the door to broader injunctions. The main pathway still open to a nationwide block involves a class-action lawsuit.
What is a class-action lawsuit?
It's a lawsuit in which an individual files a claim on behalf of a group of people with similar or nearly identical claims. The group can then be certified by a judge as a 'class' and represented in a single case.
Class-action lawsuits are brought by plaintiffs, often a small group, who represent the broader class, standing in for many more people. Some, such as those filed against a company that sold a defective product, seek damages. Others seek injunctions preventing a particular action.
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