Trump Blasts 3 Supreme Court Appointees After Mail Ballot Ruling, Citing Tariff and Citizenship Losses
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 15
Trump Blasts 3 Supreme Court Appointees After Mail Ballot Ruling, Citing Tariff and Citizenship Losses
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 15
Summary
Seven weeks before the midterms, Trump called the justices he appointed a "shell of their original selves" after the court blocked his administration's mail-ballot restrictions.
The ruling left the vote count undisclosed, but Brett Kavanaugh backed the outcome in a concurrence saying even lawful changes would be unreasonable so close to the election; Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett filed no dissents.
Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented and drew Trump's praise, while the emergency-order decision effectively ends this election cycle's fight over nationwide Postal Service rules for mail ballots.
Trump widened the attack to other recent defeats, noting his appointees also split against him in cases striking down his tariff authority and his bid to curb birthright citizenship.
The clash deepens Trump's pattern of personal attacks on the court, even as legal scholars and Chief Justice John Roberts have warned such rhetoric threatens judicial independence.