Supreme Court Case Tracker

Glossary

Injunction

Supreme Court glossaryAll terms

Definition

An injunction is a court order requiring someone to do something or stop doing something.

Why it matters

Supreme Court cases often arrive after lower courts grant, deny, narrow, or pause injunctions.

In practice

Injunction disputes can reach the Court through emergency applications, appeals, or merits cases about the scope of equitable relief.

Identify whether the injunction is preliminary or final and whether the Court is reviewing remedy, liability, or both.

Common confusion

An injunction can be preliminary or final. Emergency review of an injunction is different from final merits review.

Examples

Before ArgumentsMichael Washington, et ux. v. United StatesThis pending case asks whether the Eleventh Circuit may dismiss an attempted appeal by people seeking to intervene in a case without first deciding whether they had a right to intervene under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 24. It also concerns whether someone harmed by a filing injunction imposed on a co-litigant has standing to appeal that injunction.Injunction posture25-7680 Before ArgumentsApple Inc., Petitioner v. Epic Games, Inc.The Court will consider whether Apple could be held in civil contempt for conduct that allegedly violated the “spirit” of an injunction in its dispute with Epic Games, even though the injunction did not expressly prohibit that conduct. It will also consider whether the Ninth Circuit could uphold relief extending beyond the parties under an asserted antitrust or competition-law exception to limits on federal courts’ equitable power.Injunction posture25-1311 DecidedDonald J. Trump, President of the United States, Applicant v. Lisa D. Cook, Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve SystemThe Court denied the Government’s request to pause an injunction that prevents President Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook while her case continues. The ruling leaves Cook in office for now and does not finally decide whether the President may lawfully remove her for cause.Injunction posture25A312

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