Supreme Court's Conservative Majority Delivers Key Victories for President Trump

The Supreme Court's latest term concluded with an extraordinary run of victories for President Trump, with the conservative majority issuing decisions that largely eliminated the main tool opponents had used to thwart his agenda. The six-justice conservative majority yielded to President Trump's assertive initiatives, including rulings on immigration, transgender troops, and government agency independence. The court's truncated procedures allowed the president to pursue his policies indefinitely and sometimes irreversibly. The emergency docket, once used primarily by death row inmates, has now become a key tool for the Trump administration, with over 90% of emergency applications filed by the administration succeeding, compared to 10% for other applicants.

Key Takeaways:

• The Supreme Court's conservative majority delivered decisive victories for President Trump, with 6-to-3 rulings in many cases, including the limiting of nationwide injunctions.
• The emergency docket, once used for death row inmates, has become a key tool for the Trump administration, with over 90% of emergency applications succeeding.
• President Trump's success rate on the emergency docket has been notable, with almost three times as many wins as other applicants seeking emergency relief, according to a law professor and political scientist at Washington University.
• Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has expressed satisfaction with the court's direction, saying the term was one of the best since the 1930s.
• The court issued only 56 decisions in argued cases resolved with signed opinions, around the number it has issued since the term that ended in 2020.
• Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from a case that could have had significant implications for religious charter schools.
• The justices managed to produce unanimous decisions in a number of key cases, including rulings on a Catholic charity's activities and workplace discrimination.

Statistics:

• The Trump administration filed 19 emergency applications in the first 20 weeks of the president's second term, surpassing the number the Biden administration filed over four years.
• The median time between the first filing and the court's decision on emergency applications is about three weeks.
• The court allowed the administration to end nearly 350,000 Venezuelans' protected status under Temporary Protected Status.
• The court also allowed the administration to offer temporary residence for over 500,000 noncitizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
• Justice Kavanaugh's overall record remains secure, with a 89% majority voting record since joining the court.
• Justice Barrett, at 84%, is tied for second with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy for the highest majority voting record since at least 1953.

Sources:

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• "Bench Memos" by National Review