By ADAM LIPTAKFEB. 5, 2017
Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey spoke against President Trump’s immigration order last Monday at the Supreme Court. Credit Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s executive order on immigration has prompted a constitutional showdown that could leave a mark on the law for generations and seems likely to end in a landmark Supreme Court decision.
A ruling by the court on Mr. Trump’s travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim countries could help answer some crucial legal questions: How much independent constitutional authority does the president have over immigration, and how much power has Congress given him?
The likely answer to both questions: a lot. But other parts of the Constitution may temper or defeat that power. Among them are the due process and equal protection clauses and the First Amendment’s ban on government establishment of religion.
Here is a look at the leading arguments in the case.