Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday addressed her recent opinion on universal injunctions in Trump v. CASA, where she delivered a stinging rebuke of the dissent from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
In the 6-3 decision that gave the president a huge win, Barrett took aim at Jackson’s arguments, where she claimed the administration was asking the high court for “permission to engage in unlawful behavior” by challenging the use of universal injunctions. In line after line, Barrett called out Jackson for essentially having no idea what she was talking about.
In her majority opinion for the Supreme Court nuking universal injunctions, Amy Coney Barrett also juked Kentanji Brown Jackson from orbit.
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) June 27, 2025
“We will not dwell on Justice Jackson’s argument, which is at odds with more than two centuries worth of precedent, not to mention the… pic.twitter.com/je6FsoXxCi
The principal dissent focuses on conventional legal terrain, like the Judiciary Act of 1789 and our cases on equity. JUSTICE JACKSON, however, chooses a startling line of attack that is tethered neither to these sources nor, frankly, to any doctrine whatsoever. Waving away…
— The AI Whisperer (@PressFreedoms) June 28, 2025
Asked about her rebuke on Thursday, Barrett said she believed Jackson's argument was made "in strong terms that I thought warranted a response."
Barrett's remarks came during an event in New York City promoting her new book "Listening to the Law."
"I personally tend not to be spicy for the sake of being spicy, but I am from New Orleans and everyone likes a little Tabasco sometimes," she said of her opinion in Trump v. CASA.
The justice emphasized her respect for her colleague, noting that her sharp language in the majority opinion was not an attack on Jackson personally. "We just disagreed about the scope of judicial power," she explained. "I attack ideas. I don't attack people."
