The Supreme Court is entering its final stretch of the term, with 23 cases still undecided out of 58 argued. The justices are racing to complete decisions and dissents before the end of June or early July.
Two major rulings have already been issued: one effectively gutted the remaining parts of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, leading Republicans in several Southern states to redraw congressional maps that diminish or eliminate majority-Black districts. The second struck down President Trump's tariff program, ruling that Congress had not authorized it and that Trump exceeded his authority.
Among the most contentious remaining cases is the challenge to Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. Trump signed the order on the first day of his second term, barring citizenship for children born in the U.S.
if their parents entered illegally or are living in the country legally with temporary visas. Every lower court judge to review the order called it "blatantly unconstitutional," citing the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States." The Supreme Court majority appears inclined to rule against Trump.
Another high-profile case involves state bans on transgender athletes in women's sports. Laws in about half the states prohibit trans girls and women from participating in women's sports at publicly funded schools.
The court is considering two cases: one involving college and university varsity competition, and another involving high school sports. Supporters argue the bans prevent unfair advantages, while opponents say they discriminate based on sex, violating federal law and the Constitution's equal protection guarantee.
The Supreme Court appears likely to uphold the bans.
The independence of federal agencies is also at stake in a case involving Rebecca Slaughter, a Federal Trade Commissioner appointed by Trump in his first term and fired in his second. The court allowed the firing temporarily, but the six conservative justices are expected to rule definitively in Trump's favor, potentially ending the 90-year precedent that agency heads can only be fired "for cause." This could allow Trump to fire members of the Federal Reserve Board, including Chair Jerome Powell, causing anxiety among economists and business leaders.
Other cases include challenges to mail-in ballot grace periods, Temporary Protected Status for migrants from Haiti and Syria, geofencing warrants that require tech companies to search user location data, and gun regulations requiring advance permission to carry firearms on private property. The court is also considering whether a federal law making it a felony for drug users to possess a gun violates the Second Amendment, a case similar to the one that led to Hunter Biden's conviction.