Supreme Court could rule on birthright citizenship, transgender sports cases today

Supervising Producer

WASHINGTON —

The Supreme Court is set to release decisions on birthright citizenship and transgender sports participation as its term comes to a close.

Birthright Citizenship

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, et al., Petitioners v. Barbara, et al.

Birthright citizenship grants automatic citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil under the 14th Amendment.

This was challenged on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term, when he signed an executive order to invalidate how the amendment is interpreted. The order would deny citizenship to anyone born in the U.S. on or after Feb. 19, 2025, whose parents are in the country illegally or temporarily.

Experts argue the decision could impact a quarter of a million children born in the U.S. each year.

Transgender Sports Participation

West Virginia, et al., Petitioners v. B. P. J., By Her Next Friend and Mother, Heather Jackson

Bradley Little, Governor of Idaho, et al., Petitioners v. Lindsay Hecox, et al.

The Supreme Court is also expected to release decisions on cases challenging laws that bar transgender girls and women from playing on grade school and college sports teams. More than two dozen Republican-led states, including Idaho and West Virginia, have enacted bans on transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s teams.

The decisions could be released as soon as 10 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday.

Major Cases Decided on Monday

On Monday, the Supreme Court released mixed rulings on presidential power.

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, et al., Petitioners v. Rebecca Kelly Slaughter
The high court ruled that presidents can remove the heads of independent federal agencies without cause, overturning a precedent that had been in place for nearly a century. The court said Trump was well within his rights to fire Rebecca Slaughter from the Federal Trade Commission.

This decision means the president doesn’t need a reason to fire just about anyone in the executive branch, giving him more power over agencies previously considered to be independent from his political agenda.

Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, Applicant v. Lisa D. Cook, Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, et al.
In another case, the court barred the president from firing a member of the Federal Reserve, protecting the central bank’s independence.

They ordered that the mortgage fraud investigation against Lisa Cook should play out first. Cook has denied the charges.

Michael Watson, Mississippi Secretary of State, Petitioner v. Republican National Committee, et al.
The court also allowed states to count mail-in ballots that are postmarked by Election Day to arrive afterward. It’s a practice more than half of states permit in some form.

Okello T. Chatrie, Petitioner v. United States
The justices upheld a ruling that police agencies must get a subpoena to access cellphone location information. Investigators routinely use this data to place a suspect at the scene of a crime. The justices defeated a challenge, arguing that a court order is not needed for this information if you opt into sharing your information with a tech company.

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