The United States Supreme Court on Monday issued a series of major rulings related to President Donald Trump, including three that went against him and one in his favor. The decisions covered presidential authority over independent regulators, voting rights, and a sexual assault judgment.

In a 6-3 vote, the court expanded Trump's executive powers to fire members of independent government agencies without cause, backing his dismissal of Democratic FTC member Rebecca Slaughter and overturning a 1935 precedent. Trump fired Slaughter over policy disagreements. The ruling is expected to have wide-ranging implications as Trump seeks to reshape the federal government.

However, the court refused to allow Trump to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook in a 5-4 decision that preserved the central bank's independence. Trump had cited unproven mortgage fraud allegations. The court emphasized the importance of the Fed's independence, noting that both the fact and appearance of independence are key to its design.

In another blow to Trump, the court upheld a Mississippi law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within five days. The 5-4 ruling rejected a challenge by the Republican National Committee. Justice Barrett wrote that federal law does not require ballots to be received by Election Day. Trump has long criticized mail-in voting without evidence of widespread fraud.

The court also rejected Trump's effort to overturn a $5 million jury verdict finding him liable for sexual abuse and defamation of E. Jean Carroll. Carroll's attorney called the decision a final affirmation of the jury's unanimous verdict. Trump denounced the case as "fake" and vowed to continue fighting. The court is set to decide on birthright citizenship and transgender sports cases this week.

Source: www.aljazeera.com