US Supreme Court curbs judges from blocking Trump's controversial policies, as critics warn of ‘step toward authoritarianism'
WASHINGTON, June 28 — US President Donald Trump hailed a 'giant win' yesterday after the Supreme Court curbed lone judges from blocking the Republican's raft of controversial policies.
The 6-3 ruling, with the court's liberal justices all dissenting, stemmed from Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship.
The court said individual district judges had likely exceeded their powers by issuing nationwide injunctions, which have also blocked a string of Trump's hardline policies on immigration, diversity and firing federal employees.
'The Supreme Court has delivered a monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law,' 79-year-old Trump told a hastily arranged press conference at the White House.
Trump said he would now proceed with 'so many policies' that had been 'wrongly' blocked, including stopping funding for transgender people and 'sanctuary cities' for migrants.
His initial reaction to the ruling came in a post on Truth Social, welcomed it as a 'GIANT WIN.'
US Attorney General Pam Bondi, standing alongside Trump at the podium, said the ruling would stop 'rogue judges striking down President Trump's policies across the entire nation.'
Trump separately hailed a 'great ruling' by the Supreme Court to let parents opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed books at public schools. Critics say the move threatens secular education by opening the door to religious objections.
'Step toward authoritarianism'
The Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of Trump's executive order seeking to end automatic citizenship for children born on US soil.
But the broader decision on the scope of judicial rulings removes a big roadblock to Trump's often highly contested policy agenda and has far-reaching ramifications for the ability of the judiciary to rein in Trump — or future US presidents.
The Supreme Court's majority decision was authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, and joined by the other five conservative justices.
'Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch,' wrote Barrett, who has previously been a frequent target of Trump loyalists over previous decisions that went against the president.
The Supreme Court's three liberal justices dissented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the ruling was 'nothing less than an open invitation for the government to bypass the constitution.'
Democrats swiftly blasted the decision, saying it would embolden Trump as he pushes the boundaries of presidential power in his second term.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called it a 'terrifying step toward authoritarianism.'
Trump however rejected concerns about the concentration of power in the White House. 'This is really the opposite of that,' Trump said. 'This really brings back the Constitution.'
Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship is just one of a number of his moves that have been blocked by district court judges around the country — both Democratic and Republican appointees — since he took office in January.
Courts have, for example, blocked or slowed down his hardline immigration crackdown, firing of federal employees, efforts to end diversity programs and punitive actions against law firms and universities.
'Lawless actions'
Past presidents have also complained about national injunctions shackling their agenda.
But such orders have sharply risen under Trump, who saw more in his first two months than Democrat Joe Biden did during his first three years in office.
The case was ostensibly about Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship, which was deemed unconstitutional by courts in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state.
But it actually focused on whether a single federal district court judge has the right to issue a nationwide block to a presidential decree with a universal injunction.
The issue has become a rallying cry for Trump and his Republican allies, who accuse the judiciary of impeding his agenda against the will of voters.
Steven Schwinn, a law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, told AFP that the court's ruling 'sharply undermines the power of federal courts to rein in lawless actions by the government.'
Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship decrees that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become citizens.
Trump said that the policy 'was meant for the babies of slaves,' dating back to the US Civil War era in the mid 1800s. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
MONEY THOUGHTS: Of squeezes and substitutions
CAN you sense the snowballing righteous indignation of regular people at the arrogance and disrespect shown to them by political leaders — far and near? Globally, Donald Trump's tariffs on the whole world have angered entire continents, even as some cautious national leaders are taking a placatory stance toward him. Note: Even disregarding trade volumes for the moment, the sizable dip in the number of foreign students enrolling in American universities, and the cratering of tourist visits Stateside both bear testimony to one unsurprising truth: If you don't want me, I have options! While not true under monopolistic or monopsonistic circumstances, it is true most of the time. (In a monopoly, there is only one seller or provider of a good or service; so, a monopolistic vendor can raise prices to the roof. Conversely, in a monopsony, there is only one buyer, again, of a good or service; therefore, a monopsonistic buyer can — and almost always will — slam prices to the floor on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.) Thankfully, we — people and countries — have choices. So, while Trump considers the United States of America the economic centre of Earth, billions of people are waking up to the truth that 95.8 per cent of humanity lives outside America, and about 73 per cent of global GDP (gross domestic product) is generated within the other 192 member countries of the United Nations (and the two permanent observers, the Vatican and beleaguered Palestine). In most buy-and-sell transactions worldwide, the high-handed arrogance of entitled monopolists and monopsonists cannot gain traction because of one word: CHOICE. CHOICE AND SUBSTITUTION Fused onto the word "choice" like a semantic Siamese twin is the robust economic concept of "substitution", which applies to current American economic animosity toward most other countries, and also to the growing hordes of frustrated Malaysian consumers and business owners. People have choices when substitutions abound. You exercise this proactive power each time you dine out and scan menu items. If you see two meal options, which appeal equally to your growling stomach, you are likely to select the cheaper option. When extending the selection of options made from among several (or, better yet, many) economic choices, we humans usually revert to the common sense behaviour of rejecting those who reject us and instead seeking out those who are warm, friendly and accepting. For an extreme recent example, consider the sheer idiocy of the Trump administration barring eager, supersmart non-Americans from entering Harvard University. China's immediate (and massively logical) response was to welcome those brainiacs with open arms. Every country's future wealth is more dependent upon the scientific, technological and business acumen of a minority of talented people — regardless of where they were born — than upon the masses who believe mere birthright dubiously grants them some form of superiority. I suspect if America continues down this path of rejecting those who come from outside its shores, in less than a decade, other countries, led by wiser leaders, will grow at its expense. However, the proven self-correcting mechanisms in the American system of governance will probably permit the pendulum to swing back toward sanity in a few years. So, the advantage those of us who invest globally have is a vast range of choices for the allocation of our hard-earned, hard-won and hard-retained capital. Within our, ideally, globally diversified portfolios we should observe and think before acting. ECONOMIC RE-ENGINEERING Toward that end, the idea of substitution is readily understood, both within the SIPs (or savings and investment portfolios) we build lifelong wealth with, and within the narrow parameters of analysing the impact hiking a small country like Malaysia's sales and service (SST) rates can have. In case you missed it, there was an announcement that the Malaysian government will rake in an additional RM10 billion from its most recent hikes in certain SST rates. Time will tell if that durian runtuh -type harvest for government coffers materialises. You see, on the surface, having a competent, clean government that collects more tax revenue and which channels it toward enhancing the country's healthcare and education systems is laudable. However, that targeted extra RM10 billion flowing to the government is RM10 billion flowing OUT from the collective pockets of all Malaysians. It's been reiterated that 85 per cent of Malaysians won't be hurt too much, while the highest earning 15 per cent of Malaysian households shouldn't begrudge this economic re-engineering. Yet, in truth, dissatisfaction is rising like a king tide across all slices of the so-called privileged T15 — the 15 per cent of top-earning Malaysians. And the source of that dissatisfaction — increased taxes — will morph consumption habits across all socio-economic layers of this country. When we-the-people feel that disengaged authorities are squeezing us, we will respond rationally, logically, and decisively — to protect the economic well-being of those who matter most to us: our immediate families. Similarly, but on a larger scale, countries other than the US, especially across Asia, will evolve and grow new supply chains that exclude and sideline offensive rogue nations intent on rejecting or hurting them. Consider that as you contemplate your key investment choices over the next three-and-a-half years. © 2025 Rajen Devadason
Malay Mail
42 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
‘Love can't be banned': Budapest Pride defies Orban clampdown with record 200,000 crowd
BUDAPEST, June 29 — Record numbers of people marched in the Budapest Pride parade yesterday, defying a government ban that marked a major pushback against LGBTQ rights in the European Union. Organisers estimated up to 200,000 people took part in the 30th parade in the Hungarian capital, which was held in a festive atmosphere with rainbow flags flying high. Those numbers far exceed the previous record turnout of 35,000 people and came in spite of a police ban imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist government. The governing coalition amended its laws and the constitution this year to prohibit the annual celebration, citing 'child protection' to justify the years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights. But the opposition-run Budapest city hall decided to co-host the march so it could go ahead. 'I am proud to be gay and I am very scared that the government wants to bring us down,' one participant, 66-year-old Zoltan, told AFP. 'I am very surprised that there are so many people, I want to cry,' he added. He declined to give his full name. 'Big embarrassment' Orban said Friday that while police would not break up the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of 'legal consequences'. Parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, and attendees can face fines up to €500 (RM2,500). The latest legal changes also empower the authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those taking part, and cameras had recently been installed on lamp posts along the parade route. Szabolcs Pek, lead analyst at research centre Iranytu Institute, said it would be difficult for Orban's Fidesz party to respond to the high turnout. 'This is a big embarrassment for Fidesz,' he told AFP. Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs in a post on X after the march claimed the opposition staged the parade 'at Brussels' command'. 'With Pride, the opposition incited against laws they don't like, mocked Hungary's sovereignty, and — with foreign backing — tried to force woke culture onto us,' he wrote. The march began chaotically under a scorching sun. Marchers repeatedly had to pause to wait for police to stop traffic, according to AFP journalists at the scene. 'I definitely wanted to come, if only to show my solidarity, and to show how important this issue is — not only to me, but to almost everyone living in Budapest,' economics student Marcell Szanto, 22, told AFP. Dozens of European lawmakers also attended in defiance of the ban. 'Love can't be banned' 'Freedom and love can't be banned,' read one huge poster put up near city hall, the gathering point for the march. Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban. Thirty-three nations, including most EU countries, have also released a statement in support of the march. Since Orban's return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights. It is the first EU nation to ban a Pride march, and Orban has said he has been emboldened by the anti-diversity push by US President Donald Trump. Some people also gathered along the route to protest LGBTQ rights, in demonstrations called by far-right groups, one of which featured a wooden cross adorned with protest messages. But opposition leader Peter Magyar said on Facebook that the government 'scored not a goal, but a huge own goal with their attempt to ban today's event'. Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony in a post noting the big turnout thanked Orban 'for advertising for a more tolerant society'. One woman, who gave only her first name, Katalin, told AFP she agreed with the ban though she didn't want any clashes. 'Disgusting... it's become a fad to show off ourselves,' she said. — AFP
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Trump calls Netanyahu a ‘war hero', slams corruption trial as ‘witch hunt'
WASHINGTON, June 29 — President Donald Trump said yesterday the United States was 'not going to stand' for the continued prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges. 'The United States of America spends Billions of Dollar a year, far more than on any other Nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this,' Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. An Israeli court on Friday rejected Netanyahu's request to postpone giving testimony in his corruption trial, ruling that he had not provided adequate justification for his request. In one case, Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused of accepting more than US$260,000 (RM1 million) worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours. In two other cases, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage from two Israeli media outlets. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and has thanked Trump for his support in Israel's war with Iran, which saw a ceasefire agreement earlier this week. His lawyer had asked the court to excuse the leader from hearings over the next two weeks, saying he needs to concentrate on 'security issues.' Trump on Wednesday sprung to Netanyahu's defence, describing the case against him as a 'witch hunt.' Yesterday, he described Netanyahu as a 'War Hero' and said the case would distract the prime minister from negotiations with Iran and with Hamas, the Gaza-based Palestinian armed group that Israel is at war with. 'This travesty of 'Justice' will interfere with both Iran and Hamas negotiations,' said Trump, although it was unclear what negotiations he was referring to with regards to Iran. Hamas took 251 hostages during its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, with 49 still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Negotiations are ongoing for the return of the remaining hostages and the bodies of those killed, while Israel's punishing war on Gaza continues unabated. The US leader also likened Netanyahu's legal troubles to his own before he took office for his second term. 'It is a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure,' said Trump. The Republican was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in May 2024 in a case related to hush money payments to a porn star. Trump also faced two federal cases, one related to his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. — AFP
