Washington, DC – The United States Supreme Court concluded its 2024-2025 term with mixed rulings affecting US President Donald Trump. The court rejected Trump’s appeals on major issues such as his reciprocal tariffs policy and efforts to end birthright citizenship. Notably, the court rebuffed Trump’s appeal in the E Jean Carroll case and upheld his authority to fire officials, with an exception for Federal Reserve’s Cook.

Despite these losses, experts told Al Jazeera that the 6-3 conservative-dominated court continued to expand presidential powers. A landmark 2024 ruling in Trump v United States established that presidents have “absolute immunity” for official acts, shielding them from criminal prosecution while in office. The court also permitted immigration agents to turn away asylum seekers before they reach US soil, bypassing laws that require allowing asylum applications.

An analysis by ProPublica found the Supreme Court issued 63 decisions on the shadow docket during this term, the highest number in two decades, surpassing the 56 decisions on the merits docket. Legal scholar Bowman noted that although Trump often criticizes the court for not granting him “100 percent” of his demands, he is effectively receiving a large portion of what he seeks, either explicitly or implicitly.

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