Division in the Supreme Court imposes limits on Trump’s power

What caused Trump’s recent court defeat?

The Court ruled that the president could not use an economic emergency law (the IEEPA) to single-handedly create a large-scale import tariff regime. Six of the nine ministers understood that a measure with such a large economic impact requires clear and explicit authorization from the National Congress and cannot be based solely on generic external security rules.

What is the controversy surrounding the American Central Bank?

Trump faces a lawsuit over the firing of Lisa Cook, governor of the Federal Reserve (the FED). The law protects these directors with fixed terms of office, allowing them to leave only for ‘just cause’. Trump claims to have constitutional authority to fire whoever he wants in federal agencies, while defenders of the institution say that this destroys the independence necessary to set the economy’s interest rates.

What is at stake regarding the citizenship of children of immigrants?

The government is trying to end automatic citizenship rights for babies born in the US whose parents are undocumented or on temporary visas. Trump signed a decree to change this rule, but the Court is analyzing whether he can change, on his own, an interpretation of the Constitution that has been in force for more than 120 years and guarantees this right to almost everyone born on American soil.

What was the president’s reaction to these decisions?

Donald Trump reacted harshly, classifying the overturn of the tariffs as ‘very unfortunate’ during his State of the Union address. In previous statements, he even stated that the magistrates who voted against his measures were a ‘disgrace to their families’. The scenario shows that the government will not have an ‘automatic stamp’ from the Supreme Court for all its executive actions.