US President Donald Trump said Friday he can now push through a raft of controversial policies after the Supreme Court handed him a “giant win” by curbing the ability of lone judges to block his powers nationwide.
In a 6-3 ruling stemming from Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, the court said nationwide injunctions issued by individual district court judges likely exceed their authority.
“This was a tremendous win,” Trump told reporters in a hastily arranged press conference at the White House. “I want to just thank again the Supreme Court for this ruling.”
Trump said he would now proceed with “so many policies” that had been “wrongly” blocked, including his bid to end birthright citizenship, and stopping funding for transgender people and “sanctuary cities” for migrants.
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.”
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 separately hailed a “great ruling” by the Supreme Court to let parents opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed lessons at public schools.
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.
Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship is just one of a number of his moves that have been blocked by 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.
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