Supreme Court Bolsters Trump’s Authoritarian Reach While Blocking Some of His Most Extreme Policies
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The Supreme Court’s latest term handed President Trump alarming new powers over independent agencies and campaign finance, eroding democratic safeguards, while only partially restraining his most egregious attacks on civil rights and constitutional protections.
The Supreme Court concluded its 2025-2026 term with a series of decisions that both empower and restrain President Donald Trump, but the overall effect is a dangerous expansion of executive power. In Trump v. Slaughter, the conservative majority struck down long-standing protections for the independence of the Federal Trade Commission, giving Trump and future presidents sweeping authority to purge officials who might resist corporate or political overreach. Chief Justice John Roberts justified this by claiming the president must be able to remove subordinates for accountability, but critics warn this undermines checks and balances vital to democracy.
In another blow to equality, the Court upheld discriminatory state bans on transgender athletes in girls’ sports. Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s opinion ignored the lived realities of trans youth and reinforced bigoted statutes in over two dozen states, signaling a chilling disregard for civil rights under the guise of protecting women’s sports.
The justices further dismantled campaign finance regulations by striking down federal caps on coordinated campaign spending, a move that will flood elections with even more money from wealthy donors and special interests. Justice Kavanaugh’s rationale of 'equal treatment' masks the reality that this decision benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of ordinary voters.
However, the Court did reject some of Trump’s most extreme measures. His executive order to end birthright citizenship was found unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment, with Roberts affirming that citizenship is a fundamental right. The Court also blocked Trump’s attempt to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs, ruling that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not grant such unchecked authority. This decision, opposed by the Court’s most reactionary justices, is a rare check on Trump’s economic nationalism.
Other notable rulings included allowing states to count mail ballots arriving after Election Day if cast on time—a modest victory for voting rights—and denying Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, protecting some measure of institutional independence. The Court also refused to hear Trump’s appeal in the E. Jean Carroll defamation cases, denying him another shield from accountability.
Collectively, these rulings dangerously expand presidential control over key federal functions, while only partially curbing Trump’s relentless assault on democratic norms and marginalized communities.
