Supreme Court Rules 6-3 in Trump v. CASA: Federal District Courts Cannot Issue Nationwide Injunctions

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on April 1, 2026 in Trump v. CASA that federal district courts lack the authority to issue nationwide injunctions blocking administration policies. The ruling is one of the most structurally significant legal victories of Trump's second term, as nationwide injunctions had been the primary tool used by lower courts to block dozens of Trump executive orders — on birthright citizenship, immigration enforcement, agency firings, and law-firm targeted EOs. Under the ruling, injunctions may only apply to the specific plaintiffs before a given court. Legal scholars called the decision 'a seismic shift in the balance of power between the executive branch and the judiciary.' Opponents argued it would create a patchwork of legal outcomes across jurisdictions, requiring the administration to be sued in every circuit simultaneously for injunctions to have national effect. The three dissenters — Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson — argued the ruling would 'give the executive branch a free pass to violate the Constitution as long as it moves fast enough.' The administration hailed the ruling as a return to 'constitutional order.'