Donald J. Trump, President of the United States v. Illinois
Denied
No. 25A443·Stay application·Filed by the federal government·Presented to Justice Barrett·From United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
What did the Court do?
The Court denied the request on December 23, 2025: the lower court's ruling stays in effect while the appeal continues.
Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case. Justice Alito, Justice Thomas, and Justice Gorsuch would have ruled the other way.
Filed · Ruled · 67 days after filing
What's being asked
The federal government asks the Supreme Court to pause (stay) a lower-court ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit while the appeal continues. The case is Donald J. Trump, President of the United States v. Illinois.
What the Court did
The application is denied. [See Detached Opinion for full order language.] (Detached <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a443_new_b07d.pdf'>Opinion</a>). Justice Kavanaugh, concurring in the judgment. (Detached <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a443_new_b07d.pdf'>Opinion</a>). Justice Alito, with whom Justice Thomas joins, dissenting. (Detached <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a443_new_b07d.pdf#page=8'>Opinion</a>). Justice Gorsuch, dissenting. (Detached <a href = 'https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a443_new_kkg1.pdf#page=24'>Opinion</a>).
Concurring · 1agreed with the result, wrote separately
The order records the positions of 4 of 9 justices. The Court usually does not say how each justice voted on an emergency application, so the rest are shown as not published.
Filing90 days
Days from filing to a ruling for 17 rulings on applications where the Court asked for a response since January 1, 2025. The band is the middle half, the tick the median, and the mark this application: ruled 67 days after filing.
What it means
This is a temporary order about what happens while the case is decided, not a ruling on who is right. The case continues in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Separate writings
Justice Alito, joined by Justice Thomas, dissenting
Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 25A443. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.