Yesterday, the Supreme Court reminded President Trump that at least one branch of government would not bend the knee. The justices, in a 5-4 vote, rejected Trump’s request to freeze $2 billion in foreign aid, a part of his effort to slash government spending and dismantle the “deep state.” “A bare majority of the court ruled against Mr. Trump on one of his signature projects,” my colleague Adam Liptak wrote. “The president’s many programs and plans, the order suggested, will face close scrutiny from a deeply divided court.”
That’s the second time the Supreme Court has stopped Trump in his second term, although lower courts have blocked many more parts of his agenda. With Republicans in control of Congress, the courts remain the only serious obstacle to the president. Today’s newsletter looks at the tangle of cases — and at what may happen if Trump ignores the rulings they produce.
The court battles
The Times is tracking dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration. The legal challenges, in federal courts around the country, fit into four categories:
Government overhaul: With the help of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, Trump is trying to downsize the federal government. His administration has tried to fire tens of thousands of civilian employees and dismantle entire agencies. The legal challenges contend that Trump didn’t follow rules for firing certain employees, that he can’t shut down agencies established by law without congressional approval and that DOGE has gone beyond what laws allow it to do.
Immigration: Trump has pushed his administration to end birthright citizenship, deport many more migrants, restrict asylum and withhold funds from cities that resist his policies. His critics say many of these moves violate laws or constitutional standards that protect immigrants’ rights.
Reversing liberal policies: Trump has tried to curtail a host of liberal policies, including environmental rules, legal protections for transgender people, congestion pricing in New York and D.E.I. initiatives. Some of the lawsuits seek to overturn Trump’s orders and resurrect these policies. Others focus more narrowly on restoring access to government data, such as information about climate change and H.I.V. treatments, that officials have taken offline.
Press freedom: Trump has blocked Associated Press reporters from official events because the A.P. style guide uses Gulf of Mexico instead of Gulf of America. The news service says this violates the First Amendment and the right to due process.
These cases start in district courts, which can pause a policy. Then both sides argue their positions in court, and the losing side can appeal the ruling to appeals courts and eventually the Supreme Court.
So far, 41 rulings have paused Trump’s initiatives, at least temporarily. (Look at the whole list here.) Eventually, the Supreme Court could uphold or reverse Trump’s actions permanently. But that process often takes years. The Trump administration could take advantage of that slowness to fire workers and reshape the government before the courts could react.
Scholars argue about whether the country is in the midst of a constitutional crisis. But most experts, both liberal and conservative, agree that one thing will cross a line: if Trump ignores a Supreme Court ruling. At that point, the checks and balances that the constitutional system relies on could collapse.
The administration has already failed to comply with some lower court orders, such as one revoking a broad federal funding freeze. And some of Trump’s supporters, including Vice President JD Vance, argue that the president should not listen to orders that constrain him. “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” Vance posted on social media. Vance has also adapted an apocryphal Andrew Jackson line: “The chief justice has made his ruling; now let him enforce it.”
The implication is that courts have power only if people obey them. Judges don’t have police officers or soldiers they can dispatch to enforce their rulings.
Trump so far has not written off judicial authority. In the instances when the administration hasn’t followed court orders, it has pointed to alternate legal justifications for its actions. Previous presidents did similar things, such as when Joe Biden cited other legal avenues for student loan forgiveness after the Supreme Court ruled against his initial attempt.
Still, Trump doesn’t like being told no. He has already stretched the powers of the presidency. He might believe that, in defying the courts, he can do it again.
Yellow Bittern: The most divisive restaurant in London is open only for lunch.
The wizard of vinyl: In a sprawling Kansas factory, Chad Kassem is “saving the world from bad sound.”
Ask Well: My partner snores. What should we do?
Lives Lived: Juan Hamilton was an aimless young ceramist when he turned up on the doorstep of the octogenarian painter Georgia O’Keeffe. He would become her caretaker, confidant and the object of sensational accusations as virtually the sole beneficiary of her will. He died at 79.
SPORTS
N.H.L.: The Washington Capitals’ winger Alex Ovechkin is nine goals from Wayne Gretzky’s record after scoring in the team’s win over the New York Rangers.
N.F.L.: Players are on the move before free agency begins. The Chargers released Joey Bosa after nine seasons and the Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf requested a trade.
Men’s college basketball: Connecticut, the two-time defending champions, defeated No. 20 Marquette, but there’s arduous work ahead.
Gen Z fans pay much more for tickets than previous generations of concertgoers. In 1996, the average cost of a ticket to the year’s biggest tours was $26 — adjusting for inflation, that’s about $52 today. Last year’s average was $136. How do 20-somethings afford live music? Some save; others go into debt.