US Supreme Court Begins New Term with High-Stakes Trump Cases on the Docket
US Supreme Court: As Donald Trump explores the boundaries of his power under the U.S. Constitution and federal law, the U.S. Supreme Court began its new nine-month session on Monday with significant issues pertaining to presidential powers.
On Monday, the nine justices will hear arguments in two cases. On Tuesday, they will begin their first major case of the term, which concerns the legitimacy of a Colorado statute that forbids “conversion therapy” aimed at changing a minor’s gender identity or sexual orientation.
It is one of many cases that touch on contentious themes in the U.S. culture wars; other cases that will be debated center on racism, gun rights, and transgender student athletes.
However, the term’s central issue is expected to be the president’s power in matters involving Trump, who took office again in January.
Supreme Court Conservative Majority
Three justices nominated by Trump during his first term in office make up the court’s conservative 6-3 majority. This year, the court has already sided with the Republican president in a number of emergency decisions.
The conservative majority gave Trump a significant win that supported presidential authority in the only case this year in which the justices heard arguments involving him. In June, the court limited courts’ power to block Trump’s policies throughout the country in a case that sprang from a disagreement over his attempts to restrict birthright citizenship.
In three significant issues involving Trump, the court will hear arguments in November, December, and January over the validity of his broad tariffs and his actions to remove officials from agencies established by Congress that have particular employment protections intended to shield them from presidential meddling.
A debate over whether a Texas judge violated David Villarreal’s right to counsel during his murder trial under the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution will be heard by the justices on Monday. During an overnight trial break, the court forbade Villarreal from talking to his lawyer about his testimony.
In 2018, Villarreal was found guilty and given a 60-year jail term. The justices will also hear arguments in a different case about whether state rules requiring plaintiffs in medical malpractice lawsuits to have an affidavit from a medical expert saying that there are reasonable grounds to think medical negligence has occurred must be applied by a federal court.
Similar legislation has been enacted in other states to reduce baseless claims of medical malpractice.
A Florida man who owns a house in Delaware filed the lawsuit, claiming he was given subpar treatment for an ankle injury there. When the plaintiff and defendant reside in separate states, the case may be heard in federal court.
TRUMP’S DEFENSE
The plaintiffs opposing Trump’s tariffs contend that Congress, not the president, is given the constitutional power to impose taxes and tariffs, and that any transfer of that power must be clear and constrained. The Justice Department has said that denying Trump the ability to impose tariffs “would expose our nation to trade retaliation without effective defenses and thrust America back to the brink of economic catastrophe.”
While that lawsuit is pending, the court granted Trump’s emergency order to remove Rebecca Slaughter, opens new tab, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission. However, the judges paused action on a Justice Department motion to allow the president to dismiss Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook for the time being until the lawsuit regarding Trump’s attempt to remove her opens a new tab.
This term, the court also has cases looking at a provision that allows Americans to sue in U.S. courts over property seized by the Cuban government and campaign financing legislation in a case involving Vice President JD Vance.