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The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian beneficiaries, ruling the TPS statute bars judicial review of TPS termination decisions and that the Haitian beneficiaries’ equal protection claim is likely to fail because there is a “strong, race-neutral explanation” for the TPS termination. (Opinion.) (SCOTUSBlog.) Kate Shaw argued that the decision unshackles the presidency and is part of a broader trend of Supreme Court deference to President Trump. (NYT.)
The Court also held Thursday that an alien “arrives in the United States,” and becomes an applicant for admission under the Immigration and Nationality Act, “only when he crosses the border.” (Opinion.) (SCOTUSBlog.)
Judge Emmet Sullivan (D.D.C.) issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday requiring the Justice Department to produce to the public, without redactions, an array of documents in the Epstein files that initially were redacted, and to review and release other materials from the files that the department initially withheld. (Opinion.) (Order.) (Politico.)
Judge Indira Talwani (D. Mass.) declared sections 2 and 3 of Executive Order 14399 (“Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections”) void, finding them ultra vires and unconstitutional, and enjoined the president and defendant agencies from implementing those sections with respect to the Nov. 2026 federal elections and any earlier federal election. (Opinion.) (NYT.) Section 2 of the executive order required the Department of Homeland Security to compile and transmit to each chief state election official a list of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote in the upcoming elections. And section 3 directed the postmaster general to compile lists of voters eligible to vote by mail and to bar the transmission of mail-in or absentee ballots from individuals not on those lists. (Executive Order 14399.)
Judge Myong J. Joun (D. Mass.) issued a decision Wednesday explaining his June 5 order preliminarily enjoining the Department of Agriculture from conditioning billions of dollars in federal funding on state compliance with executive orders and department policy on diversity, equity, and inclusion; gender ideology; immigration; and the participation of transgender athletes in sports. (Memorandum Decision.)
Judge Leonie M. Brinkema (E.D. Va.) issued an order Wednesday refusing to deem the Anti-Weaponization Fund litigation moot in the absence of sworn declarations from senior administration officials that they will not proceed with the Fund. She also ordered the Justice Department to respond to the start of the civil discovery process in the case by July 17. (Order.) For background, see a previous Roundup.
Rep. Jamie Raskin is reportedly working to force a floor vote on a bill to block the Anti-Weaponization Fund. (Politico.)
Pending Interim Order Applications Involving the U.S. Government in the Supreme Court
Blanche v. Perlmutter: The government filed an emergency application on October 27 requesting the Supreme Court to stay a district court interlocutory injunction that temporarily reinstated Shira Perlmutter to her role as Register of Copyrights while litigation over her removal continues. Chief Justice Roberts formally set a deadline of November 10 for a response to the application. Perlmutter submitted a response on November 10. Blanche submitted a reply on November 12. The Court deferred the application for stay on November 28 pending the Court’s decisions in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook.
Trump v. Cook: The government filed an emergency application on September 18 requesting the Supreme Court to stay a preliminary injunction issued by a district court that blocked President Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Cook filed an opposition to the request on the same day. The Chief Justice formally set a deadline of September 25 for a response to the application. Cook filed a response on September 25. On October 1, the Court deferred action on the stay application pending oral argument in January 2026 and established a supplemental briefing schedule. Additional amicus briefs were filed on October 29. Both sides filed supplemental briefs on November 19 and the Court heard oral argument on Jan. 21, 2026.