U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping assertions of executive power during his first weeks back in office appear headed toward U.S. Supreme Court showdowns, but it remains an open question whether or how much the justices might act to check his authority.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump’s views of presidential authority appear far less restrained than those of his White House predecessors, according to legal scholars, citing actions such as seeking to restrict birthright citizenship, withholding funding appropriated by Congress and removing heads of independent federal agencies.
“The unifying theme is an extreme view of presidential power unlike anything we have seen before,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law.
