This article updates our coverage from June 24, when the Supreme Court issued a decision on administrative removal proceedings affecting green card holders. This story reports on new developments announced Monday as the court concluded its session.
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed Monday that the Supreme Court will hand down all remaining opinions for this term Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m. EDT, setting up what legal observers are calling a blockbuster day of decisions.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative legal advocates say the birthright citizenship case offers an opportunity to clarify what they view as ambiguity in the 14th Amendment's phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." They argue the framers did not intend automatic citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants or those with temporary legal status.
On transgender athlete participation, Republican lawmakers and conservative advocacy groups contend that biological sex should determine eligibility for girls' and women's sports. Idaho became the first state in 2020 to enact such a ban, and more than two dozen states have since adopted similar measures.
In the campaign finance case, former Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), along with the National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee, argue that limits on candidate spending coordinated with political parties violate First Amendment rights. A former congressman is also a plaintiff in the challenge.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic lawmakers and civil rights advocates have been closely tracking these cases, particularly the birthright citizenship challenge to President Trump's executive order limiting citizenship to children with at least one parent who is a citizen or permanent legal resident.
Immigration rights groups argue that the 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to all persons born on U.S. soil, with narrow exceptions only for children of foreign diplomats or those born on enemy vessels during wartime. They contend any restriction would strip constitutional protections from millions of Americans born in this country.
On transgender athlete bans, LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations and women's rights groups maintain that excluding trans athletes from school sports discriminates based on gender identity in violation of the 14th Amendment's equal protection guarantee. Some have also argued such bans conflict with Title IX, the federal law governing sex-based discrimination in educational programs.
What the Numbers Show
More than two dozen states have enacted laws banning transgender athletes from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity, according to tracking by the Movement Advancement Project.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on these cases earlier this term, with birthright citizenship drawing particular attention when President Trump attended the proceedings personally.
Trump has publicly acknowledged skepticism about his chances in the birthright citizenship case. "This decision by the Supreme Court is a very big one," he said in the Oval Office last month. "They'll probably rule against me, because they seem to like doing that."
The president's executive order on birthright citizenship has not gone into effect while legal challenges proceed through the courts.
The Bottom Line
Tuesday's decisions will mark the conclusion of one of the most closely watched Supreme Court terms in recent memory. Beyond the three major cases announced Monday, the court still has additional opinions pending from its remaining docket.
Legal experts will be watching particularly for how the court addresses the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause and whether it signals a willingness to reconsider long-standing interpretations of birthright citizenship. The decisions could affect millions of individuals born in the United States to parents without permanent legal status.
The transgender athlete rulings could provide guidance for the dozens of states with similar bans already on their books, potentially resolving legal uncertainty that has left schools and athletic associations seeking clearer standards.
Follow our coverage Tuesday as we report on each decision as it is released.