WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is commencing a new term that places a spotlight on President Donald Trump’s broad claims of executive power. Among the key issues are critical cases regarding voting rights and the rights of LGBTQ individuals. On Tuesday, the justices will deliberate over bans instituted in nearly half of U.S. states targeting therapy designed to alter sexual orientation or gender identity.
In the initial session of the term, the Court will handle relatively lower-profile issues, including a legal dispute stemming from a Texas murder trial that questioned a defendant’s ability to consult with his attorney during an overnight break in his testimony. This foundational session is expected to clear the way for more dominant themes emerging in the next ten months, notably the examination of Trump’s wide-ranging assertions of presidential authority.
So far, the Court’s conservative majority has shown a degree of receptiveness towards various emergency appeals from Trump’s administration, but a more critical analysis may be forthcoming as the Court engages deeply with significant Trump policies. This includes potential questions surrounding the implementation of tariffs and proposed changes to birthright citizenship.
In November, the justices are set to tackle an essential case regarding the legality of Trump’s sweeping tariff policies. Recently, two lower courts concluded that the Republican president lacks the authority to impose far-reaching tariffs solely through emergency powers.
Looking ahead to December, the Court will review Trump’s authority to dismiss independent agency members at will, a ruling likely to revert or significantly limit a 90-year-old precedent that mandated a valid cause, such as misconduct, before a president could remove Senate-confirmed officials.
The outcome of these cases leans toward predictable outcomes, with the conservative justices often permitting these firings while associated legal challenges unfold. The liberal justices have consistently dissented during each of these considerations.
Moreover, the court is also expected to deliberate on Trump’s executive order that limits birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants born in the U.S. The administration is currently challenging lower-court rulings that have ruled the order unconstitutional, which goes against over a century of established legal understanding.
In conclusion, this term is structured to shape pivotal issues surrounding the ongoing tension between executive power and legal boundaries within the United States.
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