Great Lakes Wire

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case of Trump, et al. v. CASA, impacting the scope of federal court authority to issue nationwide injunctions. The decision determined that "universal injunctions likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has granted federal courts." This outcome limits such injunctions to only the specific parties involved in lawsuits.

The case was consolidated with Trump v. Washington and Trump v. New Jersey, which included participation from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and attorneys general from 17 other states, as well as Washington D.C. and San Francisco. The preliminary injunction against an executive order aimed at eliminating birthright citizenship is now restricted to these parties.

Attorney General Dana Nessel responded to this development with a statement:

“This unprecedented decision doesn’t make Donald Trump’s executive order limiting birthright citizenship lawful. It simply allows it to stand in states either unwilling or afraid to challenge it, inviting this president and future ones to ignore constitutional limits."

She further expressed concerns about regional disparities: “The idea that our rights now depend on where we live is unconscionable. The Constitution is not a regional document, and it should never be subject to the whims of any political party or administration."

Nessel reaffirmed her commitment to challenging this order in court: “We look forward to continuing to make this case in the courts and remain confident that we will succeed on the merits of our argument."

While today's ruling did not address or offer an opinion on the legal merits of birthright citizenship itself, the existing injunction remains effective for all state plaintiffs involved, including Michigan.