President Donald Trump has had several triumphant days at the Supreme Court since returning to the White House last year, but Monday was a day of black eyes for the commander in chief at the high court.
On the Supreme Court’s penultimate day of its term, the justices handed down opinions in four cases and an orders list, where they noted which cases they would hear for the next term. Two of the opinions handed down were key losses for Trump, while in the orders list, the Supreme Court declined to hear one of Trump’s most high-profile personal appeals.
Three major losses for Trump on Monday
Trump’s bad day at the Supreme Court began when the high court handed down an order list at 9:30 a.m., where justices said they would not hear an appeal of the $5 million civil judgment finding him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
The high court’s decision not to hear the case did not include comment from any of the justices. The Supreme Court opting not to hear the case was not a surprise for most court watchers, but Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the decision came as a surprise to him.
“Surprisingly, the Supreme Court declined to ‘review’ a Fake Case brought against me by a woman I never met (Decades old celebrity photo line, standing with her husband, does not count!). I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength,” Trump said.
“This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to another President, or Candidate to be! New York State created a Law, for an instant speck of time, going back many decades, in order to wrongfully ‘nab’ me. It was tailormade, and this Injustice cannot be allowed to stand!” Trump added.
Trump’s losses continued shortly after 10 a.m., when the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Watson v. Republican National Committee, upholding a Mississippi law allowing mail ballots received days after Election Day to be counted, rejecting arguments that under federal law, mail ballots must be received by Election Day to count. The 5-4 ruling penned by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee to the high court, said federal law outlined that “election-day statutes require the electorate’s choice to be made on election day.”
While the Republican National Committee and Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson were the parties to the case, Trump’s Justice Department argued alongside the RNC during the March hearing before the justices to strike down the law. When asked about the ruling by reporters Monday, Trump said it was “a little bit surprising” and called for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which includes various election integrity provisions.
“In light of the tremendous loss in the Supreme Court today concerning Voter’s Rights, and the fact that ‘people’s’ votes are allowed to be counted LONG AFTER an Election is over, it is more important than ever to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Later that morning, the Supreme Court allowed Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook to remain in office, declining to allow her to be fired for cause as Trump had attempted to do. The high court ruled 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing the majority opinion.
“Last August, for the first time in the Federal Reserve’s 111-year history, the President attempted to fire one of its Governors,” Roberts wrote. “A few weeks later, a federal court issued an injunction to prevent him from doing so. We decide whether that order should remain in effect pending the conclusion of litigation over the attempted removal.”
The decision was only an interim one, meaning litigation over Cook’s purported firing based on allegations of mortgage fraud will continue in lower federal courts. Trump offered an uncharacteristically measured response to the Supreme Court’s decision, calling it a procedural decision and vowing to continue to pursue her firing.
“The Cook Lawsuit, having to do with her suitability in sitting on the Board of the Federal Reserve, was sent back by the Supreme Court on a strictly procedural basis, we will take appropriate action immediately to make sure that someone who has committed wrongdoing will not be making vital decisions concerning the Welfare of the United States of America!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
One big win for the president
While the president had multiple key losses on Monday, he did have a major win regarding his firing power over most of the executive branch in Trump v. Slaughter. Roberts wrote the 6-3 majority opinion in Trump’s favor, a ruling that allows him to fire officials at most independent agencies within the executive branch, overruling a nearly century-old precedent.
“Our Constitution creates three branches, but only one President. That President is not all powerful — not by any means,” Roberts wrote. “But he is not impotent either. He and he alone is vested with ‘[t]he executive Power’ of the United States.”
The ruling allows Trump to fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, and similar officials who oversee independent agencies in the executive branch, without cause, marking a dramatic expansion of the president’s firing power. The president celebrated the win, which he called “a Monumental Ruling at such an important time,” in a series of posts on Truth Social.
“BIG WIN just moments ago at the Supreme Court, in the Slaughter Case, confirming Presidential Power in our Country to remove Executive Branch Officers and Agency Appointees, or Representatives, under Article II. This Decision was long sought by United States Presidents, dating all the way back to the 1930s. It is such an Honor to be the sitting President who won this Historic and Unprecedented Ruling, one of the most important ever given with respect to Presidential Powers,” Trump said.
SUPREME COURT BLOCKS TRUMP FROM FIRING FEDERAL RESERVE’S LISA COOK
The president has had a mixed record at the Supreme Court this term, with a major loss on his sweeping tariffs earlier this year but also a string of big wins in immigration cases. Trump’s winning streak on immigration could come to an end on Tuesday, when the Supreme Court issues its ruling on the president’s birthright citizenship order.
The Supreme Court will release opinions in the final four pending cases, including disputes over Trump’s birthright citizenship order and state laws banning biological men from women’s sports, at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The high court will start its next term in October.