President Donald Trump’s administration is storming the Supreme Court with a barrage of emergency requests, racking up surprising victories.
Fox News reported that in just 23 weeks, the administration has filed 20 such applications, a pace that dwarfs the efforts of past presidents. This aggressive legal strategy is reshaping policy at breakneck speed, delighting conservatives and raising eyebrows among critics.
Since taking office on January 20, 2025, Trump has unleashed a flurry of executive orders, triggering hundreds of lawsuits nationwide.
The administration’s 20 emergency applications to the Supreme Court aim to bypass lower court roadblocks and enforce policies like banning transgender military service and slashing Education Department grants. With a 6-3 conservative majority, the court has largely sided with Trump, fueling his allies’ ambitions.
Many of Trump’s executive orders faced swift challenges in lower courts, often getting blocked by judges skeptical of their scope.
Undeterred, the administration has leaned heavily on the Supreme Court’s “shadow” docket, a fast-track process for emergency rulings. This tactic has allowed Trump to sidestep a gridlocked Congress and push his agenda with stunning efficiency.
The Supreme Court, located at 1 First Street in Northeast Washington, D.C., holds ultimate authority over federal and constitutional disputes.
Its recent rulings, often unsigned and brief, have greenlit Trump’s policies, from firing probationary federal workers to targeting specific grants. These opaque decisions leave little room for public scrutiny, frustrating progressives who crave transparency.
Unlike traditional cases, emergency applications aren’t meant to offer permanent solutions, yet they’ve become Trump’s go-to tool. In five months, he’s filed more requests than Joe Biden’s 19 over four years or the eight combined from Barack Obama and George W. Bush. This “move fast and break things” approach has conservatives cheering and opponents scrambling.
Lower courts haven’t rolled over entirely, with some judges pushing back hard against Trump’s moves. A federal judge, for instance, ordered the administration to release “unlawfully” withheld USAID funds, a rare setback.
Another judge shielded a Democratic law firm from being targeted, citing risks to its survival—a ruling that sparked conservative grumbling about judicial overreach.
The Supreme Court’s conservative tilt, solidified at 6-3, has been a game-changer for Trump’s agenda. Rulings favoring the administration have energized MAGA supporters, who see the court as a bulwark against woke policies. Critics, meanwhile, lament the court’s willingness to rubber-stamp executive actions with minimal explanation.
Trump’s team isn’t slowing down, filing their 20th emergency application last Thursday, even as the court wrapped its term. These requests often bypass the usual judicial slog, landing directly before justices who seem increasingly receptive. The result? Policies that might’ve languished in lower courts are now in full swing.
The administration’s legal blitz has outpaced anything seen in recent decades, leaving Biden’s slower approach in the dust.
While Obama and Bush treaded lightly with emergency requests, Trump’s strategy is all gas, no brakes. Conservatives argue this boldness is exactly what’s needed to dismantle progressive overreach.
Trump’s wins at the Supreme Court are already reshaping federal policy in tangible ways.
The ban on transgender service members, once stalled by lawsuits, is now enforced, pleasing social conservatives. Similarly, the termination of Education Department grants has redirected funds away from programs deemed wasteful by the administration.
Not every ruling has gone Trump’s way, but the losses are outliers in a string of successes. The USAID funding order stung, forcing the administration to cough up restricted funds. Yet such defeats only seem to spur Trump’s team to double down on their Supreme Court strategy.
The court’s “shadow” docket, once a little-known procedural tool, is now a conservative superpower. Its speed and secrecy let Trump enact policies without waiting for Congress or public opinion to catch up. Detractors cry foul, but supporters see it as a masterstroke against bureaucratic inertia.
Trump’s reliance on emergency applications has turned the Supreme Court into a lightning rod for partisan debates.
Progressives argue the court’s conservative majority is enabling a dangerous power grab, while MAGA loyalists celebrate the rollback of leftist policies. Both sides agree: The stakes at 1 First Street have never been higher.
The administration’s legal victories are emboldening allies to pursue even more ambitious executive actions. With the court in their corner, Trump’s team sees little need to negotiate with a sluggish Congress. This dynamic has conservatives dreaming of a transformed government, free from what they call woke dogma.
