As it does annually, the United States Supreme Court handed down several major decisions at the end of its current term. The justices handed President Trump a victory and a defeat on the expansion of executive powers. He lost a crucial voting rights decision on the counting of mail ballots. And he suffered a defeat in his attempt to overturn a jury’s verdict in a sexual abuse case conviction against him.

The court also decided cases related to birthright citizenship, campaign spending, and two cases regarding transgender girls’ opportunities to participate in scholastic sports. The president experienced both wins and losses as a result of these decisions and also saw some of his court appointees rule against him in a few important cases.

Supreme Court Expands and Limits Executive Power

In a 6-3 decision that reflects a major expansion of executive power, the majority upheld Trump’s action to fire Federal Trade Commission (FTC) member Rebecca Slaughter. The broader context of the decision is that the president now has the authority to fire members of several agencies, including the FTC. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissent, said, “Today, the Court discards that democratic regime in favor of one that distorts the structure of Government to fit the majority’s theory of unitary, total executive control.

And in a related decision with a much smaller scope, the court ruled 6-4 that Trump did not provide sufficient due process to Federal Reserve board of governors member Lisa Cook when he tried to fire her over mortgage fraud allegations. Cook has denied any wrongdoing in the matter. To everyone’s surprise, Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the majority in this opinion, thereby opposing the president on this matter.

Court Upholds Mail-in Voting Rights

In another defeat for the president, the court ruled 5-4 to uphold the State of Mississippi’s grace period for mail-in ballots that arrive after election day. The Trump administration was seeking to invalidate the state law. Joining the majority were Roberts and Trump-appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Although the decision concerned Mississippi election law, the ruling also leaves in place similar laws in 18 other states.

This decision is a setback to Republican efforts to limit mail-in balloting ahead of this year’s Midterm elections. On his Truth Social site, Trump called the ruling a “tremendous loss.” He then reiterated the need for Congress to pass his controversial voting legislation, the SAVE America Act, saying it was “more important than ever.” That legislation is tied up at the Capitol with very little chance of final passage.

E. Jean Carroll Decision Upheld

The President was on the wrong end of another decision when the court declined a request from Mr. Trump to review the 2013 $5 million civil judgment against him in the E. Jean Carroll sexual abuse case. The justices did not include any comment in their decision, and no public dissents were published. The president’s response to this decision was predictable.

“Ms. Carroll’s lawsuit is a fake case. I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength.”

Mr. Trump is also interested in having a second case related to Ms. Carroll’s allegations adjudicated by the court. In 2024, a different jury ordered Mr. Trump to pay Ms. Carroll $83.3 million in damages for defaming her in 2019 after she accused him of a decades-old rape. Mr. Trump’s lawyers have indicated that they intend to ask the court to hear that case.

Transgender Rights Curtailed

The Supreme Court ruled today in a 6-3 decision to uphold state laws prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in women’s and girls’ sports. This is a major blow to Transgender athletes, and to their parents and supporters. The majority voted to uphold the laws in Idaho and West Virginia that ban trans athletes from women’s sports. They said the federal law against sex discrimination in education, Title IX, permits schools to separate women’s and men’s sports teams by biological sex.

The court also rejected claims that these measures violate the constitutional rights of transgender people. Justice Brett Kavanaugh spoke for the majority when he wrote, “The Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women’s and girls’ sports throughout America.” He added, however, that the ruling does not answer the question of whether federal laws allow schools to permit transgender girls to play on girls’ sports teams.

“That question is currently the subject of litigation in some lower courts,” he wrote. “Nothing in this opinion is intended to decide that question. In addition, nothing in this opinion should be interpreted to address or limit participation by biological females on male or co-ed sports teams.”

Birthright Citizenship

And the justices, in a 6-3 majority, ruled that the president’s restrictions on birthright citizenship, the centerpiece of his immigration policy, are unconstitutional. They wrote that the 14th Amendment grants automatic citizenship to most children born in the U.S. Even those children born to parents who entered and/or remain illegally present in the country.

Again, Justices Roberts and Coney Barrett sided with the court’s liberal members in striking down the president’s restrictions.  American Civil Liberties Union National Legal Director Cecillia Wang, who argued the case in court, said this about the decision.

“A president cannot change the Constitution by executive fiat. Our brave clients and our legal team stand with millions of people around our country who spoke up for one of our most cherished rights. The Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship stands strong.”

Summary

Although the president took hits from the outcomes of some of the Supreme Court’s decisions, other rulings continue to illustrate the extent of Mr. Trump’s influence over the conservative Justices. Their decision to expand his executive powers by granting him authority to oust members of federal commissions will have long-term repercussions. The ruling against Transgender athletes will negatively impact school-age children in this country for years to come.

Their earlier decisions to uphold the administration’s decision to end temporary protected status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants and to allow federal officers to physically block asylum seekers at the border were huge blows to immigration advocates. And the court’s decision to permit candidates and party committees to coordinate and raise infinite amounts of money is an unwelcome extension of Citizens United. It will take some time to evaluate the repercussions of all of these decisions.