The Supreme Court delivers its biggest opinions in the final week of the term, and the interpretations start pouring in, clouding the actual decisions. Here's what the Court actually held.

In nine days in June, the Supreme Court issued three immigration rulings that, read together, systematically narrowed who can challenge federal immigration decisions in court — and what legal protections remain for people who have lived in the United States legally for years.

The first came June 23. In Blanche v. Muk Choi Lau (6-3), the Court held that border officers don't need "clear and convincing evidence" of a disqualifying criminal offense before denying a lawful permanent resident re-entry. Justice Alito wrote for the majority. The ruling lowers the evidentiary bar for exclusion at the border and applies to the roughly 12 million green-card holders who travel internationally.

Two more rulings came June 25. In Mullin v. Al Otro Lado, the Court upheld the administration's policy of metering asylum seekers at ports of entry — capping daily presentations for asylum — and held that legal challenges to the policy are barred by federal judicial review limits. Asylum seekers turned away under that policy have no path to court.

Mullin v. Doe (6-3) held that federal courts cannot review most challenges to Temporary Protected Status terminations. Justice Alito, writing for six justices, read the TPS statute's review bar as "clear" and "very broad" — foreclosing not just constitutional claims but procedural arguments that DHS bypassed required steps. Roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals and 6,000 Syrians face potential loss of legal status and work authorization, with no judicial recourse.

What changed: Each ruling turns on statutory text — not constitutional limits. Congress could restore judicial review of TPS terminations by amending 8 U.S.C. § 1254a, revise the asylum metering bar, or raise the evidentiary standard in Blanche. Congressional inaction is itself a choice.

What doesn't change: TPS terminations proceed on administrative timelines — the rulings remove judicial review, not the wind-down schedule. Green-card holders retain their underlying status; Blanche affects the standard applied when they seek re-entry after international travel.

Supporters of the rulings argue the president holds primary authority over immigration enforcement and foreign-policy-adjacent decisions, with no legitimate role for courts in second-guessing those judgments. Opponents argue the combined effect eliminates judicial check on millions of people who came here legally and built lives under the expectation that courts would remain available.

What's Loud: The agency independence ruling. Trump v. Slaughter overruled Humphrey's Executor v. United States — the 1935 precedent underpinning the FTC, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and dozens of other multi-member commissions. Six justices held that any such commission is now at the president's will; each faces immediate legal challenge.

What's Missing: A limiting principle. The Court carved out the Federal Reserve on historical grounds — the Fed traces its lineage to the First and Second Banks of the United States. Every other independent agency will now litigate whether it falls on the Fed's side of that line.

What Matters: Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook were decided the same day by nearly the same coalition. The Court allowed the president to fire FTC commissioners while blocking him from firing Federal Reserve governors. Presidential power over the regulatory state is not absolute — but where its limits fall is now contested territory for every agency in Washington.

Chatrie v. United States (June 29, 5-4): Justice Kagan held that geofence warrants — which compel tech companies to identify every device near a crime scene during a set time window — are Fourth Amendment searches, requiring probable cause and particularity before law enforcement can use them. Vacated and remanded to the Fourth Circuit. Justice Alito dissented, joined in part by Thomas and Barrett. Why this matters: The first ruling directly addressing geofence warrants, a tool used in tens of thousands of investigations nationwide.

Watson v. Republican National Committee (June 29, 5-4): Justice Barrett held that federal election-day statutes do not preempt state grace periods allowing mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they arrive within days after. Chief Justice Roberts and the three liberal justices joined. Eighteen states have such laws.

Haitian Temporary Protected Status work authorizations expire July 1 — the first administrative deadline set in motion by the June 25 Supreme Court ruling. DHS Secretary Mullin told CNN on June 28 that Temporary Protected Status holders should seek permanent residency or leave the United States. The DHS June 25 statement covered both Haiti and Syria; DHS has not announced a wind-down timeline for Syrian TPS holders.

The bipartisan Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (H.R. 7757) is expected on the House floor this week. The bill would require platforms to restrict harmful features for users under 17, enable default safety settings for minors, and give parents access controls. The House plans to consider it under suspension of rules, requiring a two-thirds majority.

On June 25, the Court also decided Monsanto Company v. Durnell, holding that federal law does not preempt state tort claims over Roundup weedkiller. The ruling allows thousands of state-court failure-to-warn suits against Monsanto to proceed and rejects the argument that EPA's approval of glyphosate shielded the company from state liability.

~July 6: The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (H.R. 6644) becomes law by statute if Trump takes no action and Congress continues pro forma sessions; the 10-day signing window closes around that date.

End of June: Trump v. Barbara — the birthright citizenship challenge to Executive Order 14160 — remains pending; the Court must issue all remaining opinions before summer recess.

July 13: The Senate returns from recess and is expected to take up the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 4784) for fiscal year 2027.

1.3 million — the number of people from 17 countries currently holding Temporary Protected Status who may have their protections terminated without judicial review, following the Supreme Court's June 25 ruling in Mullin v. Doe. Roughly 350,000 of them are Haitian; 6,000 are Syrian. Their work authorizations begin expiring July 1.

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