Trump rulings due as Supreme Court’s term nears its end
The US Supreme Court is expected to finish its current term in the coming days, with many important cases yet to be decided.
Three of them involve Donald Trump’s assertion of sweeping presidential powers, two involve major election-related cases, and one involves states’ crackdown on transgender athletes.
The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, still has seven disputes to resolve and has set Monday as the next day to rule.
Supreme Court terms begin in October and typically end in late June, sometimes extending into early July.
The Trump lawsuits focus on his moves last year to oust a member of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board of Governors and a member of the Federal Trade Commission and his executive order last year limiting birthright citizenship; These are three actions that test the limits of presidential powers.
The justices signaled skepticism during arguments in January over Trump’s bid to oust the Fed’s Lisa Cook, who threatened the central bank’s independence.
No other president has tried to fire a Fed official since its founding in 1913. In creating the Fed, Congress passed a law intended to protect it from political interference and included provisions requiring governors to be removed by a president only “for cause.”
Trump cited unfounded allegations of mortgage fraud, denied by Cook, to justify the firing.
Cook, who remains in office while the case is ongoing, described the allegations as an excuse to fire him over monetary policy differences.
But during arguments in December, conservative justices signaled they would support Trump’s removal of Democratic Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter over policy differences, even though lower courts had ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority.
In two election-related decisions, conservative justices signaled skepticism during arguments over a Mississippi law challenged by Republicans in March that allows a five-day window to count mail-in ballots after Election Day. This could lead to stricter voting rules across the country.
The court also heard arguments in December regarding a Republican proposal to eliminate federal limits on spending by political parties in coordination with candidates, in a case involving Vice President J.D. Vance.
Some of the conservative justices were sympathetic to the challenge. Liberal members of the court appeared inclined to maintain restrictions.
In January, the court heard arguments over the legality of laws in Idaho and West Virginia that barred transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports teams at public schools, including universities.
Conservative justices appeared ready to enforce the law. The states said the measures protected fair competition for women and girls. Critics see these as part of broader efforts to restrict the rights of transgender Americans.
