The U.S. Supreme Court rendered more than 20 decisions in the last month covering a wide range of topics. These choices have important ramifications for problems affecting Utah and could have an influence on millions of Americans.
Several decisions rendered by the Supreme Court may have an effect on the Trump administration’s attempts to curtail the federal government and strengthen state law enforcement.
Prohibition of National Injunctions
The Court limited the authority of federal judges to issue blanket injunctions, or nationwide injunctions, on June 27. Regardless of the parties involved, district court judges had the authority to make decisions prior to the ruling that had an impact on the entire nation. Only the parties involved in the matter before the judge can now be impacted by their orders.
According to Lucas Powe, the Anne Green Regents Chair at the UT School of Law, it will only make things worse for plaintiffs. Those who are filing the case will discover that there are more obstacles than ever before in their quest for the remedy they desire.
Powe added that cases in which only specific state attorneys general filed lawsuits against the federal government may be impacted by the new approach. For example, researchers at UT have voiced worries regarding National Institutes of Health grant reduction. Powe said it’s unclear if Texas colleges will be excluded from the case’s outcomes because Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton hasn’t filed a lawsuit against the administration alongside other states to stop such cuts.
According to Powe, this change may also make it harder for government employees—including those at the Education Department—to oppose the administration’s policies.
In a similar vein, the Court on Tuesday declared another blanket injunction unconstitutional, enabling the administration to proceed with Reduction in Force directives for over 20 federal agencies without the consent of Congress. The U.S. Department of Education, which is involved in a different legal fight, was exempt from this ruling.
Research and activities for underserved kids in public schools at the UT College of Education were supported by significant grant funding from the Department of Education. In addition, the department manages the federal student loan program and looks into possible Title IX and other civil rights abuses in higher education. The Supreme Court is still considering that issue, which also centers on whether the administration may abolish the Department of Education without the consent of Congress.
Age verification on websites that feature pornography
Last month, the Court also upheld Texas Senate Bill 1181, which mandates that websites confirm users’ ages if more than one-third of their content includes sexually suggestive or otherwise dangerous information.
Distributors of pornography filed a lawsuit to have the law blocked when it was first approved, claiming that it infringed upon their First Amendment rights. According to a news statement from the Attorney General of Texas, Texas has been permitted to implement the statute since 2023 while the appeals process has been ongoing.
According to Paxton’s news release, this is a significant win for kids, parents, and states’ capacity to shield minors from the harmful impacts of online pornography. Businesses must have appropriate age verification procedures and have no right to expose minors to pornography. Any institution that fails to take the required precautions to shield children from explicit content will continue to face legal action from me.
