Trump Criticizes SCOTUS as Leaked Memos Reveal Climate Plan Block

President Donald Trump has publicly criticized the Supreme Court's conservative majority, accusing them of lacking loyalty after the court blocked his sweeping tariff plan and is considering his effort to end birthright citizenship. In a series of posts on social media, Trump targeted Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, calling her a 'low IQ person' and suggesting that the court might rule against him on birthright citizenship.

Trump's remarks come amid growing tensions with the Supreme Court, particularly after it blocked his so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs from taking force earlier this year. The justices voted 6-3 to prevent Trump from using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to unilaterally enact steep reciprocal tariffs. Additionally, a majority of justices appeared skeptical of Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship during oral arguments earlier this month.

Meanwhile, leaked internal memos obtained by The New York Times have revealed how Chief Justice John Roberts pushed to block former President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan in 2016 using the emergency docket. According to the memos, Roberts urged his colleagues to quickly intervene and halt the plan, which aimed to cut carbon emissions over the next 25 years. The decision was made along ideological lines, with conservative justices supporting Roberts' position and liberal justices pushing back.

Justice Elena Kagan, an Obama appointee, disagreed with Roberts, stating that 'the unique nature of the relief sought in these applications gives me real pause.' Despite the opposition, the Supreme Court issued a brief decision to temporarily block Obama's plan within days. The move effectively dealt a death blow to Obama's efforts because Democrats would lose the White House later that year.

The leaked memos have sparked criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Liberals have used the revelations to reinforce their narrative about the Supreme Court's use of the emergency docket, while conservatives have expressed concern over the leak itself, viewing it as a deliberate attempt to damage the court's credibility.

In response to the heightened activity on the emergency docket, Democrats have introduced legislation aimed at increasing transparency in these decisions. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the leading Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has argued that the Supreme Court is losing credibility by not allowing cases to first play out in the lower courts.