Supreme Court Limits Nationwide Injunctions, Reshaping Judicial Power in Birthright Citizenship Case

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2025 — The U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark 6-3 decision Friday, sharply restricting the authority of federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions that block government policies across the entire country. The ruling, split along ideological lines, marks a pivotal shift in the balance of power between the judiciary and the executive branch.

The case stemmed from President Donald Trump’s executive order, signed on his first day of his second term, which sought to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are in the country unlawfully or on temporary visas. The order directly challenged the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.

In response, immigrant advocacy groups and 22 states filed lawsuits, leading three federal district judges to issue nationwide injunctions that prevented the Trump administration from enforcing the policy anywhere in the country. The administration appealed, arguing that such sweeping orders exceeded the courts’ authority and hindered executive action.

Writing for the majority, Justice Amy Coney Barrett stated, “Universal injunctions likely surpass the equitable authority conferred to federal courts by Congress.” The Court granted a partial suspension of the existing injunctions, allowing them only to the extent necessary to provide relief to the specific plaintiffs involved in the lawsuits. The justices emphasized that, except in class action cases, lower courts may not extend their rulings to individuals or groups who are not parties to the case.

Barrett noted, “Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them. When a court concludes that the Executive Branch has acted unlawfully, the answer is not for the court to exceed its power, too”.

The Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order itself, leaving that question for future litigation. The decision allows the administration to begin implementing the order against non-plaintiffs after 30 days, unless lower courts issue new protections. The ruling also leaves open the possibility of class action lawsuits that could provide broader relief.

The decision is seen as a major victory for the Trump administration, which has long criticized nationwide injunctions as judicial overreach. Critics, including advocacy groups and dissenting justices, warn that the ruling could make it harder to block policies that cause widespread harm before they take effect.

The Supreme Court’s move to curtail nationwide injunctions is expected to have far-reaching implications for future legal challenges to executive actions, fundamentally altering how and when courts can halt federal policies on a national scale.