Washington, D.C. — The Supreme Court ruled Friday to restrict the authority of lower federal courts to issue nationwide injunctions, changing how courts may block federal policies moving forward and leaving the status of birthright citizenship uncertain.
In a 6–3 decision, the Court held that federal judges must limit injunctive relief to the parties directly involved in a case unless broader relief is necessary to prevent irreparable harm.
The decision responded to concerns raised during the Trump administration, when lower courts frequently issued injunctions halting executive orders and agency rules nationwide.
The Court emphasized that such sweeping orders grant excessive power to single judges and may exceed the scope of judicial authority.
Justices based their decision on the principle that injunctions must address the legal injuries of plaintiffs and should not serve as general policy blocks.
The ruling affects several ongoing legal challenges, including past efforts to change the interpretation of the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship.
Federal courts used nationwide injunctions to block attempts to deny citizenship to children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants. The Supreme Court did not issue a ruling on the constitutionality of those efforts.
