SCOTUS Rules Universal Injunctions “Likely Exceed” Federal Courts’ Authority

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that universal injunctions “likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts.” The Court granted a partial stay of the universal injunctions issued by multiple federal judges to prevent enforcement of Executive Order 14160, which denies citizenship to children born on U.S. soil if neither parent is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of birth. The Court ruled without addressing the merits of the case. Justices Sotomayor issued a dissent, joined by Justices Jackson and Kagan, and Justice Jackson issued a separate dissent. (Trump v. CASA, Inc., 6/27/25)

In her dissent, Justice Sotomayor wrote, “No right is safe in the new legal regime the Court creates. Today, the threat is to birthright citizenship. Tomorrow, a different administration may try to seize firearms from law-abiding citizens or prevent people of certain faiths from gathering to worship. The majority holds that, absent cumbersome class-action litigation, courts cannot completely enjoin even such plainly unlawful policies unless doing so is necessary to afford the formal parties complete relief. That holding renders constitutional guarantees meaningful in name only for any individuals who are not parties to a lawsuit.”