The US Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a major victory on Friday by curbing the power of lone federal judges to block executive actions.

In a 6-3 ruling stemming from Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, the court said nationwide injunctions issued by district court judges “likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has granted to federal courts.”

The top court did not immediately rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order seeking to end automatic citizenship for children born on American soil.

But the broader decision on the scope of judicial rulings will remove a big roadblock to Trump’s often highly controversial orders and reaffirm the White House’s power.

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“Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett, author of the opinion.

“When a court concludes that the Executive Branch has acted unlawfully, the answer is not for the court to exceed its power, too,” Barrett said in an opinion joined by the other five conservative justices on the court.

The three liberal justices dissented.

The ruling has far-reaching ramifications for the ability of the judiciary to rein in Trump or future American presidents.

The case was ostensibly about Trump’s executive order signed on his first day in office ending birthright citizenship.

But it actually focused on whether a single federal district court judge has the right to issue a nationwide block to a presidential decree with a universal injunction while the matter is being challenged in the courts.

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Trump’s birthright citizenship order has been deemed unconstitutional by courts in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state, leading the president to make an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court in an effort to get the top court to strike down the use of nationwide injunctions.

The issue has become a rallying cry for Trump and his Republican allies, who accuse the judiciary of stymying his agenda against the will of voters.

Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship is just one of a number of his agenda items that have been blocked by judges around the country — both Democratic and Republican appointees – since he took office in January.

During oral arguments in the case before the Supreme Court in May, both conservative and liberal justices had expressed concerns about the increasing use of nationwide injunctions by district courts in recent years.

– ‘Nuclear weapon’ –

Justice Samuel Alito, an arch-conservative, said nationwide injunctions pose a “practical problem” because there are hundreds of district court judges and every one of them is “convinced” they know best.

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Solicitor General John Sauer compared injunctions to a “nuclear weapon,” saying they “disrupt the Constitution’s careful balancing of the separation of powers.”

The Trump administration had asked the Supreme Court to restrict the application of a district court’s injunction solely to the parties who brought the case and the district where the judge presides.

Past presidents have also complained about national injunctions shackling their agenda, but such orders have sharply risen under Trump, who has seen more in two months than Democrat Joe Biden did during his first three years in office.

Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship decrees that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become citizens.

The three lower courts ruled that to be a violation of the 14th Amendment, which states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States”

AFP

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Ismael Ahmed as the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative.

The PCNGi, according to a statement, is a key component of the administration’s post-subsidy palliative programme.

The appointment was confirmed on Friday through an official State House Press Release signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

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“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Barrister Ismael Ahmed as the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGi),” the statement read.

The PCNGi was introduced as a strategic response to the fuel subsidy removal, aimed at expanding access to cleaner, cheaper energy alternatives for Nigerians. As Executive Chairman, Ahmed is tasked with coordinating nationwide operations of the initiative.

“Ahmed will coordinate the operations of the presidential initiative, which is designed to alleviate the effects of removing fuel subsidies by offering cheaper, more affordable, and cleaner energy options,” Onanuga stated.

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Aged 45, Ahmed holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Abuja (2005) and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2006.

He later earned a Master’s degree in international relations, communications, and diplomacy from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri in 2008.

Previously, he served as Senior Special Assistant to former President Muhammadu Buhari on the National Social Investment Program between 2018 and 2022, the release noted.

“The PCNGi is a component of the Tinubu administration’s palliative intervention programme,” the statement emphasised.

Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, has approved the conversion of the May 2025 salary, which was paid ahead of Eid-el-Adha, to a soft loan, to be repaid in three instalments.

A statement by the governor’s Press Secretary, Abubakar Bawa, on Friday, said the decision was made to ease post-festive financial strain on civil servants.

Aliyu said the initiative became necessary due to the financial pressure civil servants often face during major religious celebrations.

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He said, “I am aware that many of our workers are still facing financial challenges due to the expenses incurred during the Sallah festivities.

“This measure is intended to support them by easing immediate financial strain, allowing for repayment in three convenient monthly deductions.”

He expressed optimism that the initiative would provide meaningful relief and improve the welfare of civil servants and their families.

The governor also directed the immediate payment of June 2025 salaries to all categories of workers in the state.

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This includes staff under the state and local governments, Local Government Education Authorities, and pensioners, with payment expected to commence from Monday, June 30.

Aliyu reiterated his administration’s commitment to revitalising the civil service for enhanced service delivery.

He urged workers to reciprocate government efforts through increased dedication, punctuality, and discipline in the discharge of their duties.

He also expressed appreciation to the people of Sokoto State for their continued support and reaffirmed his determination to deliver more dividends of democracy.