Trump Applauds Supreme Court Ruling That Curbs Power of Lower Courts: “A Colossal Abuse Has Ended”

Former President Donald Trump praised the Supreme Court on Friday following a landmark 6–3 decision that significantly limits the ability of federal district judges to issue nationwide injunctions—a judicial tool that often blocked his executive orders during his presidency.

In a news conference held just over an hour after the ruling, Trump called the decision a victory for presidential authority and blasted what he described as a “handful of radical left judges” who, he claimed, repeatedly obstructed policies backed by voters.

“The Supreme Court just stopped a colossal abuse of power,” Trump said. “We’ve seen judges try to dictate national law from the bench and override the will of the American people.”

The ruling stems from three consolidated cases involving universal injunctions issued by federal judges in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington state. Those courts had blocked Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, halting it nationwide. The administration argued those injunctions far exceeded the courts’ jurisdiction.

Although the justices did not rule on the constitutionality of the birthright citizenship order itself, the majority opinion, authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, declared that federal courts lack the authority under the Judiciary Act of 1789 to issue sweeping, nationwide injunctions unless specifically permitted by Congress.

“A universal injunction can be justified only as an exercise of equitable authority, yet Congress has granted federal courts no such power,” Barrett wrote.

Trump praised Barrett’s opinion as “brilliant,” while also applauding Justices Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Thomas, and Chief Justice John Roberts for joining the majority.

Following the ruling, Trump said the Department of Justice would move quickly to re-activate several policies that had been previously blocked by nationwide injunctions.