Supreme Court Ends Term Strong
The justices wrapped up their 9-month term this week, with most of the big decisions landing Monday and Tuesday. Taken together, the rulings handed President Trump a more full command over the federal bureaucracy while blocking him on a couple of his high-profile priorities. All in all, in its final major rulings, the Supreme Court ruled 3 in favor of the administration and 2 against. Here’s the rundown:
- Birthright citizenship: The Court struck down 6-3 President Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship, reaffirming that under existing law nearly anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen under the 14th Amendment, even if they are born to parents in the U.S. illegally. However, Justice Kavanaugh (who voted with the majority) wrote a concurring opinion that “Congress could —consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment—amend §1401(a) or otherwise enact new legislation establishing exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to foreign citizens unlawfully or temporarily in the country,” giving a potential path forward through legislation that would not require a constitutional amendment, and President Trump promptly urged lawmakers to start work “TODAY.”
- Mail-in ballots: The Court upheld 5-4 a Mississippi law counting mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrive within five business days, a ruling that could shield similar laws in other states this November. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion, much to Republicans’ dismay.
- Firing regulators: By 6-3, the Court ruled Trump can fire officials at the FTC and most other independent agencies at will, dramatically expanding presidential power over more than two dozen agencies. The Federal Reserve was carved out—and in a separate 5-4 ruling, the Court blocked President Trump from immediately removing Federal governor Lisa Cook, saying she must first be allowed to rebut the allegations against her.
- Women's sports: The Court upheld Idaho and West Virginia laws limiting girls’ and women’s teams to biological females, ruling 6-3 that the statutes violate neither the Equal Protection Clause nor Title IX. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the majority; Sotomayor concurred in part and dissented in part.
- Campaign finance: In NRSC v. FEC, the Court voted 6-3 to strike down federal caps on coordinated spending between political parties and their candidates as a First Amendment violation. In dissent, Justice Elena Kagan accused the majority of clearing a path to “circumvention of the contribution limits.”
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📊 Jobs report comes in soft: The U.S. economy added 57,000 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.2%.
🏥 McConnell hospitalized after cardiac arrest: News emerged this week that Senator Mitch McConnell, 84, was found unconscious at his Washington home on June 14 and received CPR before being rushed to the hospital, where his office says he got “excellent care.” He hasn't returned to the Capitol since. The episode adds to a run of health scares, including falls in 2023 and 2024 and several on-camera freezes. McConnell is technically still a sitting U.S. senator until January 2027.
✈️ A new Air Force One takes flight: President Trump debuted the new jet to be flown as Air Force One this week—a Boeing 747-8 gifted to the U.S. by Qatar's royal family last year, now outfitted by the U.S. military into a VC-25B Bridge and repainted red, white, and blue. The pair of NATO-blue Boeing VC-25A’s previously served as Air Force One for nearly 36 years, being first commissioned in 1990. Boeing has been contracted to replace the VC-25A’s with VC-25B’s since 2015, but has repeatedly pushed back its 2024 target, now to 2028 or 2029.
🌎 Trump won't renew the USMCA: Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday that President Trump is walking away from his signature trade deal with Canada and Mexico, citing “substantial issues,” with U.S. deficits with Mexico and Canada driving the call. The pact won't expire for at least a decade, but the non-renewal triggers years of annual renegotiations starting July 20.
🐘 GOP plans a Dallas midterm convention: President Trump said Republicans are organizing a first-of-its-kind midterm convention in Dallas this September.
