Pennsylvania Avenue Freeze Out

“The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a case about the enforcement of President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship order. The main question for the justices is whether lower courts overstepped their authority by blocking that January 20 order on a nationwide basis.” Here’s the latest from CNN and NYT. “Several of the justices appeared torn between two concerns: They appeared skeptical that single district judges should have the power to freeze executive actions throughout the country.”

+ Yes, the case is about birthright citizenship. But it’s also about a broader issue that could have a massive impact on Trump’s ability to put unlawful executive orders into action. “On issue after issue, the White House has been stopped by judges from carrying out Mr. Trump’s initiatives while they are litigated in court, including his ability to withhold funds from schools with diversity programs, to relocate transgender women in federal prisons and to remove deportation protections from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants. On Thursday, the Supreme Court will take up one such case, with potentially major implications for the power of the judicial branch.” NYT (Gift Article): In Birthright Citizenship Case, Supreme Court Examines the Power of District Judges.