In separate rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that President Trump’s firing of former Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter was within his executive power, but blocked the firing of Lisa Cook, a governor of the Federal Reserve. In the Slaughter case, the Court reasoned that protections preventing Federal Trade Commission members’ removal without a cause were contrary to the separation of powers enshrined in the constitution. It further determined that “those who fall within the President’s ‘general administrative control’ must be removable by the President at will.” In doing so the Court expanded presidential power over independent regulators, and appeared to endorse the unitary executive theory, which holds that the U.S. president has sole and final authority over the executive branch. However, in a separate ruling the Court exempted Federal Reserve member Lisa Cook from this broad executive authority, asserting the political independence of the country’s central bank. 

Sources: Supreme Court of the United States (1), Supreme Court of the United States (2), NY Times

On 29 April, the Supreme Court ruled that a congressional map designed to create a second majority-Black district in Louisiana constituted unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. The majority held that the state had relied too heavily on race in drawing district boundaries and that compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act did not justify such race-conscious redistricting under the Equal Protection Clause. Section 2 establishes the prohibition of racial discrimination in voting practices or procedures.  The decision substantially narrows how Section 2 can be applied. As a result, challenging redistricting decisions will now require plaintiffs to prove intentional racial discrimination, an extremely high burden. In dissent, the Court’s minority warned that the decision ‘renders Section 2 all but a dead letter,’ highlighting concerns about reduced protections for minority voters.

Sources: Supreme Court of the United States, The Guardian, ABC News, NPR, Governor of Louisiana

In March and April, media reported that the Trump administration had instructed the Department of Justice (DoJ) and Department of Homeland Security to drastically increase denaturalizations, or the process of revoking citizenship of naturalized citizens. US Citizenship and Immigration Services have been instructed to refer up to 200 cases every month to the DoJ, with staff reassigned for this purpose and regular prosecutors enlisted into the effort.  Reportedly, the DoJ had identified by 23 April 384 individuals whose citizenship it wants revoked, though it was unclear on what basis. While denaturalization is required to meet a high legal threshold, critics have expressed concerns that cases could be used to intimidate activists, given the directive’s overly broad nature.

Sources: NBC, NYT, The Guardian, Newsweek 

On 21 April, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a prominent civil rights organization, on fraud charges. The Department of Justice claimed that the SPLC’s practice of paying informants inside violent extremist organizations, such as the Ku Klux Klan, to track their activities amounted to fraud and money laundering. The SPLC had in the past collaborated with law enforcement by providing intelligence on violent groups, but the FBI had ended this practice in 2025, saying the SPLC defamed right-leaning groups. 

Sources: CNN, The Guardian, AP, Department of Justice, 

In March 2026, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on citizenship verification and mail-in ballots, directing federal agencies to compile and transmit voter citizenship lists to state authorities and introducing new requirements related to ballot administration. Election law experts and civil society organisations warned that the order encroaches on powers constitutionally reserved for states and Congress, particularly under the Elections Clause. Critics further argued that the order would unduly empower the U.S. Postal Service to regulate mail-in ballots. The executive order gives the USPS 60 days to propose rules for mail-in or absentee ballot services, including regarding envelope design and verification of eligibility through mail voter lists compiled by federal agencies. Several organisations announced legal challenges, framing the measure as a potential threat to the integrity and balance of the electoral system, ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. 

Update: On 29 June, a federal court ruled key provisions of the executive order to be unconstitutional. It held that federal agencies could not use the order as basis to interfere with states’ mail-in voting procedures or voter rolls, further barring the Postal Service from restricting mail ballots. The same day, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld, in a separate case, a Mississippi law that allowed counting mail-in ballots arriving up to five days after election day, provided they had been postmarked on or before the date of the election.

Sources: AP, Reuters, CNBC, White House, The Guardian, Brennan Center, ACLU, Supreme Court of the United States, BBC, The White House, ACLU
 

The Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s emergency tariffs on 20 February. A majority of the justices found that it was unconstitutional for the president to unilaterally set tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The decision was described by media outlets as ‘a rare rebuke’ and ‘a sharp blow’ to the Trump administration. Subsequently, companies affected have sued for refunds of duties already paid. President Trump declared he intended to circumvent the decision by using an alternative legal basis, and immediately implemented a 10 per cent global tariff, subsequently raised to 15 per cent, under a law known as Section 122. The government launched a digital claims system where importers can claim refunds on 20 April.

Update: The US Court of International Trade ruled on 7 May that the 10 per cent global tariff was unlawful, as the criteria for invoking Section 122 were not met. In response to the decision, President Trump insisted that his administration would ‘do it [raise tariffs] in a different way’.

Sources: AP, BBC, NBC, Time, France24, The Guardian, CNN, Politico

The United States and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, conducting airstrikes and launching missiles at targets across the country. One of the early strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, military leaders and civilians. In retaliation, Iran carried out multiple strikes across the Gulf region. Prior to the attack, the US government had been conducting diplomatic negotiations with Iran over a new nuclear deal. It offered several different justifications for the airstrikes, none of which addressed an imminent threat to the United States. Democratic party lawmakers criticized the strikes as being in contravention of the 1973 War Powers Resolution mandating congressional approval of military action in hostilities abroad. According to the Iranian Health Ministry, between the start of the war and 18 July, at least 3,500 people had been killed in Iran, including at least 383 children. By July, 17 US military personnel had also been killed.

Update: On 1 May, the conflict passed the 60-day threshold after which the President is required to halt the military’s participation in hostile activities unless Congress has declared war or authorized an extension. President Trump claimed that a ceasefire declared on 7 April meant no approval was needed, an interpretation that was disputed by experts.

Sources: CNN Guardian FT Politico BBC NBC, Al Jazeera