The Supreme Court concluded its term with several landmark decisions that reshaped key policy areas. In a 6-3 ruling, the justices struck down former President Trump’s Day 1 executive order that sought to end birthright citizenship, finding it violated the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of automatic citizenship to children born on U.S. soil. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the liberal justices in this decision.

The court also upheld statewide bans on transgender athletes participating in sports, emphasizing that such policies should be decided by local communities and their representatives. Joshua Block, senior counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union who argued a related West Virginia case, noted that the decision "may exclude Transgender girls, not that they must," framing it as a policy question for communities.

Additionally, the court dismantled a federal law enacted after the Watergate controversy that capped coordinated political party spending. This ruling drew criticism from legal experts like Elias Law Group Partners Jacquelyn Lopez and Rachel Jacobs, who stated, "We strongly disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision, which needlessly overturns its own precedent to destroy a long-standing pillar of federal campaign finance law."

The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) welcomed the ruling, with its Grassroots Army stating, "For years, the FPC Grassroots Army has fought hard to bring this question to the Supreme Court, and now the time has come to march forward and reclaim the rights that were immorally taken from us." The FPC is among those challenging assault weapons bans in Cook County, Illinois, as unconstitutional.

On the political funding front, during the same period, the Democratic National Committee reported just shy of $15 million on hand. The Senate Republicans’ campaign arm reported close to $49 million by the end of May, while the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm reported nearly $39 million.

As the court wraps up this session, it is already setting the stage for major legal battles in the upcoming term.

Sources