Supreme Court Limits Use Of Universal Injunctions

Today, the United States Supreme Court limited the ability of federal courts to issue injunctions granting nationwide relief against executive action. In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, the Supreme Court in Trump v. Casa, Inc., held that universal injunctions – injunctions that prohibit state or federal actors from enforcing a law against individuals who are not parties to a lawsuit – likely exceed federal courts' congressionally authorized equitable authority.

The case arose from challenges to President Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship (EO), which attempted to limit the circumstances in which US-born persons are recognized as American citizens. Several individuals, organizations, and states challenged the EO in federal court alleging, in relevant part, that the order violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Section 201 of the Nationality Act.