WASHINGTON, D.C. June 28 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court has limited the ability of lower courts to stop President Donald Trump's executive actions in a landmark ruling Friday.
The high court issued final rulings on several key cases as its current term comes to an end. Chief among them is the 6-3 ruling that district courts did not have the authority to halt Trump's executive order seeking to limit birthright citizenship.
The plaintiffs in the case argued that Trump's executive order violates the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause, which has been interpreted to grant citizenship to everyone born in the United States. The Trump administration argued that the 14th Amendment does not apply to babies who are born to one or more parents who are not legally authorized to reside in the United States.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett penned the majority opinion joined by the other five conservative justices. She noted that universal injunctions against presidential actions have become commonplace.
"During the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, district courts issued approximately 25 universal injunctions," Barrett wrote. "As the number of universal injunctions has increased, so, too, has the importance of the issue."
Barrett said complete relief granted by the courts does not equate to universal relief. This limits the scope of the relief from lower courts' injunctions to the plaintiffs in the lawsuits, including 22 Democratic-led states, immigration organizations and a group of expectant mothers.
"But federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them," she continued. "When a court concludes that the Executive Branch has acted unlawfully, the answer is not for the court to exceed its power, too."
The Court granted the Trump administration a partial stay, sending the issue back to the lower courts.
Opt-out policy on LGBTQ books
In another 6-3 decision by the conservative majority, the high court ruled that parents of Montgomery County Public Schools students in Maryland should be able to opt their children out from instruction with books that go against their religious beliefs.
A group of parents in Maryland argued that their First Amendment rights were violated when they were not given advanced notice that their children would be reading materials that include gay or transgender characters. The school board had previously ended its opt-out policy.
Justice Samuel Alito, writing the majority opinion, agreed that the school board's decision to end its opt-out policy interferes with the parents' religious rights.
The case will return to the lower court for consideration over whether the school board must reinstitute its opt-out policy. Until then, Alito ordered it must notify the parents of such curriculum and allow them to remove their children from certain instruction.
Affordable Care Act
The Court upheld the existence of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an Affordable Care Act feature that recommends preventive care services that insurers must cover at no cost to patients. The task force is made up of 16 members who are appointed to their positions.
A group of Christian-owned businesses filed a lawsuit against the task force, arguing that it infringes on the Constitution's appointments clause as its members are not nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh disagreed, saying in the majority opinion that the appointments of the task force members is "fully consistent" with the appointments clause. The court ruled 6-3, with Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Alito dissenting.
"Task Force members are supervised and directed by the secretary [of Health and Human Services], who in turn answers to the president, preserving the chain of command in Article II," Kavanaugh wrote.
Texas online porn topic
A First Amendment lawsuit over a Texas law that requires people to verify their age before viewing online pornography was struck down in a 6-3 ruling. Conservative justices ruled that Texas may continue its mandate for age verification, including the presentation of valid identification, joining more than a dozen states that have passed similar laws.
The court upheld a Federal Communications Commission program that covers the cost of telecommunications services in rural and low-income areas. The court's three liberal justices joined Chief Justice John Roberts, Barrett and Kavanaugh in the 6-3 majority.
Louisiana gerrymandering accusations
A lawsuit that accuses Louisiana of gerrymandering congressional districts will remain on the docket into the court's next term. The court decided Friday that it will take up arguments over the case again when it reconvenes after its summer break.
The Court usually breaks for the summer until the new term starts in October, but they will still have to act on any emergency cases that might arise.
