The U.S. Supreme Court has entered the final and most consequential stretch of its term, with more than 20 opinions still to be released in June and several of President Donald Trump's signature priorities hanging in the balance. The justices are racing to finish a docket that includes cases on birthright citizenship, the president's power to fire officials and the rules governing federal elections, decisions that could reshape the remainder of Trump's second term.
Among the most closely watched is Trump's attempt, through an executive order, to end birthright citizenship as it has been understood in the United States for more than a century. The court's ruling will determine whether the administration can narrow who automatically becomes a citizen at birth, a question with sweeping implications for immigration policy and constitutional interpretation.
A separate set of appeals concerns presidential removal power, testing Trump's authority to dismiss officials at agencies that Congress deliberately insulated from at-will firing. A decision expanding that power would strengthen the White House's grip over independent boards and commissions, while a ruling against the administration would reaffirm limits that have stood for decades.
The court has already handed Trump a victory in a redistricting dispute, striking down a Louisiana congressional district that favored a Black Democrat, an outcome that has shifted several House seats toward Republicans. Pending election-related cases, including one on mail-ballot deadlines, could further alter the landscape ahead of upcoming contests.
The term has unfolded against an unusually charged backdrop. Trump has publicly criticized justices who rule against him while courting conservative members of the court socially, an approach that has fueled debate over the judiciary's independence and the pressures bearing on the nine justices as they finalize their opinions.
Opinions are expected to come in waves through the end of June, when the court traditionally clears its remaining cases before the summer recess. With so many high-stakes disputes still outstanding, the coming weeks are likely to produce a run of rulings that define both the term and the balance of power between the White House, Congress and the courts.