WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is beginning a new term with a sharp focus on President Donald Trump’s robust assertion of executive power.
Pivotal cases on voting rights and LGBTQ issues are on the docket, including arguments over bans passed by nearly half of U.S. states on therapies aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
This term opens with some lower-profile cases, such as a legal dispute regarding a criminal defendant's right to consult with his lawyer during a testimony pause, in a Texas murder trial. A major thrust for the upcoming months appears to be the justices’ assessment of Trump’s expansive claims of presidential power.
The conservative majority has shown initial support towards many emergency appeals from Trump’s administration. However, scrutiny may increase when examining policies such as the president’s tariffs and restrictions on birthright citizenship.
In early November, the justices are set to hear a significant case regarding the legality of Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which lower courts have deemed unconstitutional under an emergency powers law.
In December, another crucial case will address Trump's authority to dismiss independent agency members arbitrarily, which is likely to revisit and potentially overturn established precedent requiring cause for such actions.
The court has also promised to consider Trump’s executive order that seeks to deny birthright citizenship to children of parents who are in the country illegally—this could challenge over a century of legal interpretations.
The outcomes of these cases, especially regarding executive power and societal rights, will shape the political landscape and potentially redefine certain constitutional interpretations.
