Supreme Court Faces Wave of Trump Administration Legal Battles Over Immigration, Agencies, and Executive Power

The U.S. Supreme Court is confronting a flood of legal disputes stemming from President Donald Trump’s return to office, with cases touching on immigration, federal agencies, foreign aid, civil rights, and presidential authority.

According to Reuters, in one of the most consequential clashes, the administration asked the justices on Sept. 18 to allow Trump to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, a Biden appointee, over allegations she denies. No president has ever fired a Fed governor, and lower courts have blocked Trump’s move, citing the law’s protections for the central bank’s independence.

The high court is also preparing to hear arguments Nov. 5 on the legality of Trump’s sweeping global tariffs. The Federal Circuit ruled Trump exceeded his power under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a decision with implications for trillions of dollars in duties.

Immigration remains a flashpoint. On Sept. 8, the court allowed federal agents to conduct race- and language-based raids in Southern California. Days later, the justices were asked to revive Trump’s bid to end deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans. Earlier rulings let the administration revoke temporary legal status and accelerate deportations to “third countries,” while placing limits on the use of the Alien Enemies Act against migrants.

Other rulings have bolstered Trump’s efforts to reshape federal agencies. The court has allowed him to block or remove Democratic appointees at the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and labor boards. Justices also cleared the way for mass layoffs across agencies and the dismantling of the Education Department.

Civil rights cases have also reached the court. In May, justices permitted Trump’s ban on transgender troops, and this month they were asked to uphold his move to block gender-identity passports. The administration has also won court backing for cuts to teacher training and medical research grants linked to diversity initiatives.

The disputes underscore a broader legal struggle over the reach of executive power, with the Supreme Court repeatedly placed at the center of Trump’s sweeping agenda.