Court Justices

• Legal columnist Elie Honig analyzes the Supreme Court's recently concluded term to examine the influence of politics versus judicial methodology on justice voting patterns. • The analysis highlights several 6-3 decisions, specifically focusing on two recent rulings that upheld restrictive Trump-administration immigration policies. • These rulings severely limit the ability of migrants to apply for asylum and revoke temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Syrian and Haitian refugees.

• The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday that the Constitution guarantees automatic birthright citizenship to virtually everyone born within the United States. • The decision directly rejects an executive order from President Donald Trump that sought to end this longstanding constitutional guarantee. • This ruling is significant as it reinforces the legal interpretation of birthright citizenship and limits the scope of executive power regarding immigration.

• The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that children born in the United States are citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment, regardless of their parents' legal or temporary status. • The ruling highlights deep ideological rifts among the justices, with some arguing that the court ignored historical evidence from Reconstruction-era debates. • This decision is critical as it reinforces the legal standard for birthright citizenship, a point of contention regarding the definition of a "relationship" to the country.

• Liberal Supreme Court justices issued a blistering dissent against a ruling that expands the president's authority to fire regulators, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor comparing the power to that of the "English crown." • The decision sparks concerns over the independence of federal agencies, though Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook emphasized that the central bank must remain free from political interference to ensure sound economic stewardship. • In a separate victory for Democrats, the Court ruled in Watson v. Republican National Committee that ballots mailed on time can be counted even if they arrive after Election Day.