International
Supreme Court ruling expands Trump’s power
Supreme Court ruling expands Trump’s power
The Supreme Court on Friday handed a significant victory to Donald Trump – and future American presidents – when curbing lower courts’ power to block executive orders.
President Trump was beaming as he addressed reporters at the White House briefing room podium, calling it a “big, amazing decision” which the administration is “very happy about”.
He said it was a “monumental victory for the constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law”.
The court’s decision not only impacts Trump’s birthright citizenship order, but also emboldens him to enact many of his other policy actions that have been temporarily thwarted by similar injunctions.
Impact on birthright citizenship
The Supreme Court has opened the door for the Trump administration to no longer grant automatic citizenship to everyone born on American soil – at least for the moment. Now the White House will have to implement its plan, which will be no easy task.
On Friday, the nation’s highest court allowed Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship to go into effect in a month’s time, while leaving room for lower courts to curb the impact on those who have standing to sue.
States traditionally handle processing birth certificates, and many do not record the citizenship of the parents. Democratic-run state governments will be in no rush to do so, no matter what the Trump administration may desire.
And Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the majority, left the door open for states to make the case that a more broad block on Trump’s birthright citizenship action is necessary.
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That sets up big legal battles to come.
“As the States see it, their harms — financial injuries and the administrative burdens flowing from citizen-dependent benefits programs — cannot be remedied without a blanket ban on the enforcement of the Executive Order,” Barrett wrote.
“The lower courts should determine whether a narrower injunction is appropriate, so we leave it to them to consider these and any related arguments.”
President Trump described the court’s decision on Friday as a “giant win”.
He added that the “birthright citizenship hoax” has been “indirectly, hit hard” and that the decision would prevent “scamming of our immigration process”.
Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday that the Supreme Court will decide whether the US will end birthright citizenship in October during its next session.
Broadening presidential power
The court’s decision to limit the power of lower court federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions will have immediate, wide-ranging consequences.
Both Democratic and Republican presidents have often criticised what they say are ideological jurists in federal district courts who have been able to singlehandedly block executive actions and even legislation passed by Congress.
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While doing away automatic citizenship for the children of undocumented migrants born on US soil is at the centre of this high profile case, there are a number of other actions taken by Trump in recent months that have also been held up by lower-level judges.
From Trump’s inauguration to April 29, the Congressional Research Service counts 25 such instances.
Following the court’s decision on Friday, Trump told journalists, “We can now properly file to proceed with policies that have been wrongly enjoined.”
Lower courts have blocked the president’s cuts to foreign assistance, diversity programmes and other government agencies, limited his ability to terminate government employees, put other immigration reforms on hold and suspended White House issued changes to election processes.
With the Supreme Court’s decision in this case, the administration is in a much stronger position to ask courts to allow it to push forward on many of these efforts.
During the Biden presidency, conservative judges prevented Democrats from enacting new environmental regulations, offering student loan forgiveness, modifying immigration rules. Courts blocked changes to normalised immigration status for some undocumented migrants during Barack Obama’s presidency, as well, and prevented him from making more white collar employees eligible for overtime pay.
In all these types of cases, courts will ultimately be able to step in and halt presidential actions that they deem illegal or unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court in its opinion said, ” The lower courts shall move expeditiously to ensure that, with respect to each plaintiff, the injunctions comport with this rule and otherwise comply with principles of equity.”
But that will come further along in the judicial process, at the appellate and Supreme Court level. In the meantime, presidents – Donald Trump and his successors, whether they are Republicans or Democrats – will have more time and space to act.
Supreme Court ruling expands Trump’s power
BBC
International
Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland
Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland
A holiday trip in Switzerland has ended in tragedy after a coach carrying 45 Dutch adults overturned in the eastern part of the country, killing five people and injuring the remaining passengers.
The crash occurred on Thursday afternoon on the road linking Susch and Zernez in the Graubünden region. Police said the vehicle went off the roadway while passing through an area where construction work was taking place before overturning.
Three of those injured are in serious condition, while another 37 people sustained less severe injuries. The driver, who is also Dutch, survived the crash but was among those taken for medical treatment.
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Authorities have begun investigating the incident and are working to establish what caused the coach to leave the road.
Tour operator Oad said the company was devastated by the deaths and described the incident as a deeply shocking tragedy.
The crash took place close to Zernez, a popular gateway to Switzerland’s National Park, a large Alpine nature reserve in the Engadine valley.
Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland
International
Iran’s President Seeks End to War as US Tightens Economic Pressure
Iran’s President Seeks End to War as US Tightens Economic Pressure
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said he does not support prolonging the war with the United States, while urging Iran to strengthen its economic and political resilience.
Speaking to university leaders, Pezeshkian said Tehran must avoid entering negotiations from a position of weakness, particularly as the US increases pressure through its Operation Economic Outcast campaign.
He called on universities to help the government tackle the country’s economic and social challenges, warning that poorly planned policies could worsen existing problems.
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Pezeshkian also urged young Iranians, including Generation Z students, to contribute to solving social problems rather than allowing frustration to fuel protests.
The president said he was willing to work with different political groups and anyone capable of helping Iran overcome its current difficulties.
His comments come amid growing pressure on Tehran to find a way forward. The conflict began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting Iranian missile and drone strikes against Israel and US positions across the region.
With Washington now intensifying economic pressure, Pezeshkian’s remarks reflect the challenge facing Tehran: resisting US demands while preventing the prolonged conflict and sanctions from further weakening the country.
Iran’s President Seeks End to War as US Tightens Economic Pressure
Africa
Murder of Nigerian Bishop in South Africa Sparks Outcry Over Unsolved Killings
Murder of Nigerian Bishop in South Africa Sparks Outcry Over Unsolved Killings
Family and community leaders rally for justice after 58-year-old cleric from Ekiti is assassinated in his Johannesburg residence.
To his congregation and loved ones, Nigerian clergyman Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle was a pillar of faith and moral guidance. But that sanctuary was violently shattered inside his Kensington home in Johannesburg when two gunmen forced their way inside and opened fire at point-blank range.
Hit more than seven times, the 58-year-old Ekiti native died at the scene, sending shockwaves across the Nigerian expatriate community and turning deep grief into a collective cry for justice.
Leading the push for accountability, the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA) voiced the community’s sorrow and growing frustration with violent crime.
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Association leaders stressed that Bishop Fakunle’s family, church, and compatriots deserve clear answers rather than empty reassurances.
Urging South African investigators to act with speed and transparency, the group warned authorities against letting the tragedy become another forgotten statistic in an endless stack of unsolved homicides.
As detectives at Jeppe Police Station proceed with the murder inquiry, community heads are calling for robust oversight from Nigerian diplomats while urging the public to exercise restraint.
Despite the intense anger surrounding the brazen attack, leaders emphasized that justice must be pursued through legitimate legal channels.
As mourners across South Africa and Nigeria remember the slain bishop, their message to investigators remains clear: the community will not look away until those responsible are brought before a judge.
Murder of Nigerian Bishop in South Africa Sparks Outcry Over Unsolved Killings
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