LANSING, Mich. — Questions are emerging following a flurry of decisions handed down Friday by the U.S. Supreme Court, including a significant ruling that limits lower court judges' ability to issue nationwide injunctions against government policies.
- The Supreme Court ruled that federal judges are overreaching when they issue orders that apply to everyone instead of just those arguing the case.
- This ruling comes after several states sued the Trump administration over an executive order to end birthright citizenship.
- Watch the video below to hear a legal expert explain why he expect a mountain of lawsuits as a result of this decision.
WATCH: SUPREME COURT RESTRICTS JUDGES' POWER TO BLOCK POLICIES: MSU LAW EXPERT EXPLAINS IMPACT
The ruling essentially states that federal judges are overreaching their authority by issuing broad orders that apply universally rather than limiting them to the specific parties involved in a case.
"There's still a lot of messiness to sort out," said David Thronson, a professor at the Michigan State University College of Law.
Thronson said this decision may prompt states to turn such cases into class action lawsuits.
"If they do certify as a class action, we can be right back where we started and we could have an injunction or relief that would reach everybody in the country. We would just say it's an order that reaches the class," Thronson said.
WATCH: HERE'S EVERYTHING THE SUPREME COURT RULED ON THIS FRIDAY
The ruling comes in the context of several states suing the Trump administration, claiming its executive order to end birthright citizenship is unconstitutional. A federal judge had sided with the states and issued a nationwide injunction against that order—a decision now in question after Friday's ruling.
Thronson now questions the courts' effectiveness in checking the executive branch's power.
"If this is going to slow down the ability of courts to step in when the government acts in ways that are illegal, we're going to have long periods of time where the government is acting illegally," Thronson said.
WATCH: BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP IN QUESTION AS SUPREME COURT TAKES UP TRUMP'S CASE
Birthright citizenship is enshrined in the Constitution's 14th Amendment. It remains unclear if the president's restrictions on birthright citizenship could soon take effect in parts of the country following the Supreme Court's ruling.
Thronson expects challenges to the ruling before it goes into effect in 30 days.
"But we should still see on the merits of these cases. Ultimately we should end up in the same place that we end up before," Thronson said.
"The question becomes what's going to happen in the meantime?"
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