Supreme Court Weighs 8 Major Cases Before July as Trump Tests Birthright Citizenship and Executive Power
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · May 20
Supreme Court Weighs 8 Major Cases Before July as Trump Tests Birthright Citizenship and Executive Power
8 articles · Updated · CBS New York · May 20
Before July, the Supreme Court is set to issue opinions in a cluster of major disputes, including challenges to Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship order, state bans on transgender athletes, and his efforts to fire independent-agency officials.
27 states have enacted transgender sports bans, and the justices’ rulings in the Idaho and West Virginia cases could determine whether such laws violate the Equal Protection Clause or Title IX across more than half the country.
More than 100 years of citizenship practice could be disrupted if Trump prevails on his order denying automatic citizenship to some U.S.-born children, though lower courts blocked the policy and the justices appeared skeptical in April arguments.
Executive-power cases also test whether Trump can remove FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter and Fed Governor Lisa Cook; the court has signaled more openness to presidential control over the FTC than over the Fed.
The remaining docket reaches beyond Trump’s personnel fights, with pending rulings on late-arriving mail ballots, Temporary Protected Status for 356,000 Syrians and Haitians, campaign-finance coordination limits, and gun possession by marijuana users.
How will upcoming rulings redefine presidential power over federal agencies and citizenship?
Will a 150-year-old interpretation of birthright citizenship be overturned by executive order?
With the Fed’s independence at stake, what are the potential global economic consequences?
High-Stakes Supreme Court Decisions in 2026: Trump’s Executive Power, Birthright Citizenship, and Agency Independence
Overview
The Supreme Court is set to decide two major cases involving former President Donald Trump, with rulings expected by summer 2026. These cases have huge implications for constitutional law and presidential power. One case challenges Trump’s executive order that would deny birthright citizenship to children born in the U.S. whose parents are not citizens or permanent residents, directly opposing the traditional reading of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court’s decisions will shape the future of American citizenship and the limits of executive authority, marking a summer of significant legal and political change.