Washington DC [US], February 10: President Donald Trump's sweeping assertions of executive power during his first weeks back in office appear headed toward U.S. Supreme Court showdowns, but it remains an open question whether or how much the justices might act to check his authority.
Since taking office on January 20, Trump's views of presidential authority appear far less restrained than those of his White House predecessors, according to legal scholars, citing actions such as seeking to restrict birthright citizenship, withholding funding appropriated by Congress and removing heads of independent federal agencies.
"The unifying theme is an extreme view of presidential power unlike anything we have seen before," said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law.
Trump prevailed in three major cases last year at the Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices - Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett - he appointed during his first term as president. The court has moved U.S. law steadily rightward with Trump's picks on the bench.
"The Trump administration is gambling that the court won't be an effective firewall, and the administration has decent odds on its side," Harvard Law Professor Mark Tushnet said.
Trump's actions have prompted dozens of lawsuits now proceeding through lower courts. They involve challenges to actions such as his hardline steps on immigration, federal workforce protections, the legal status of an entity created by Trump and led by billionaire Elon Musk dedicated to slashing the U.S. government and his moves to restrict transgender rights.
The Supreme Court could be called upon in the coming weeks or months to act in a challenge to Trump's policies, depending on how quickly appeals move through the lower courts.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
