SCOTUS Birthright Citizenship Ruling Leaves Constitution & Rule of Law on Life Support! - Resistance Brief for 26 June 2026

Information, insight, and inspiration for resisting tyranny in America

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Welcome to The Resistance Sentinel, a publication dedicated to documenting and amplifying the movement to defend democracy against authoritarian rule. We round out the week in resistance with more devastating news from the Supreme Court, which in a 6-3 decision sided with the Trump regime in the birthright citizenship case. While lower courts continue to hand limited victories to the resistance, the two SCOTUS decisions this week, combined with the Ninth Circuit decision allowing Trump to use the National Guard in California, leave the American Constitution and rule of law on life support--if they aren’t already dead. Meanwhile, resistance from Democrats remains fractured and largely symbolic and the next round of significant, planned protests are weeks away. We assess that since the historic No Kings protests, the tide of this conflict has shifted significantly in favor of authoritarian consolidation.

Resistance Today

Civil Society & Publics

Six arrested at protest of Palantir, tech company building deportation software for Trump admin

What happened: Six protestors were arrested at a protest outside Palantir's New York office in front of the building where Palantir is developing deportation software for the Trump regime.

⬆️ Why it matters: The arrest highlights the growing resistance to authoritarian consolidation, as protesters demonstrate against Palantir's role in enabling mass surveillance and deportations under the Trump regime.

Bureaucratic & Executive

Treasury secretary calls to scrap Trump's 'revenge tax' that could hit Canada, U.S. | CBC News

What happened: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that President Donald Trump's 'revenge tax' could hit Canada and the US will exempt U.S. companies from OECD Pillar Two taxes, potentially scrapping the contentious tax.

⬆️ Why it matters: This is a positive development as it demonstrates effective undermining of a regime provision from within, in this case from one of Trump’s own cabinet secretaries.

Legal & Judicial

🚨 SCOTUS Limits Federal Judges’ Ability to Block Executive Actions Nationwide 🚨

What happened: The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that federal judges' ability to block executive actions nationwide through injunctions was limited, affecting legal challenges against President Donald Trump's extreme executive orders.

⬇️ Why it matters: This ruling consolidates power in the executive branch, potentially undermining checks on presidential authority and limiting judicial oversight of executive actions.

Denver judge says ICE subpoena doesn’t comply with state law, but doesn’t prohibit Polis from responding

What happened: A Denver judge ruled that state officials cannot comply with a federal immigration subpoena issued by Gov. Jared Polis, citing a violation of Colorado state law that generally prohibits sharing information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

⬆️ Why it matters: This decision is good news for resistance to authoritarianism as it limits the ability of the Trump regime to unilaterally enforce federal immigration policies in the state of Colorado, potentially undermining its efforts to consolidate power.

Judge allows Newsom to demand CA troop deployment details | Sacramento Bee

What happened: A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered the Trump regime to respond to questions about how Marines and National Guard personnel are being deployed in Los Angeles as part of an ongoing legal battle over President Trump's decision to send troops to the nation's second-largest city.

⬆️ Why it matters: The ruling is a small bit of hope as it keeps alive California’s challenge to Trump’s deployment of its National Guard despite the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals allowing it to continue for now.

Congress & Lawmakers

ICE Limiting Lawmaker Access to Facilities Amid Allegations of ‘Inhumane’ Conditions

What happened: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is limiting access to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities for lawmakers amid allegations of inhumane conditions.

⬇️ Why it matters: This move further consolidates authoritarian power, restricting Congress's ability to oversee the executive branch and ensuring that the Trump regime can maintain a degree of secrecy around its actions. Lawmakers are either unwilling or unable to do anything to counter ICE’s blatantly illegal actions.

New Jersey Democratic representative pleads not guilty to Ice protest charges

What happened: A New Jersey Democratic representative, LaMonica McIver, pleaded not guilty to charges related to a confrontation outside an ICE detention facility during a congressional oversight visit.

⬆️ Why it matters: This development is good news for resistance to authoritarianism as McIver's actions challenge the Trump regime's efforts to suppress dissent and intimidation tactics against lawmakers who scrutinize its policies. We need more Democratic lawmakers to exhibit McIver’s level of courage.

‘Barely hanging on’: Joy Reid’s damning assessment of Democrats

What happened: Former MSNBC host Joy Reid said she's "barely hanging on" as a Democrat because the party has become too focused on pleasing party leaders rather than supporting effective fighters like Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

⬇️ Why it matters: Democrats continue struggling with internal divisions and may be losing what little momentum they had against Trump's authoritarian consolidation, further paving the way for authoritarianism in the US.

State & Local Governments

The Colorado governor joins team MAGA

What happened: Colorado Governor Jared Polis sided with the Trump regime on immigration enforcement policies, ignoring court orders and refusing to protect residents from federal immigration officers.

⬇️ Why it matters: This decision is a concerning example of authoritarian consolidation in the US government, as it highlights the erosion of constitutional protections and the willingness of some elected Democrats to go along with such plans.

Stein, SC governor call on Trump administration to keep offshore drilling moratorium

What happened: North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (Democrat) and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (Republican) called on the Trump regime to keep in place an offshore drilling moratorium off the East Coast.

⬆️ Why it matters: This development is good news for resistance to authoritarianism, as it represents a bipartisan challenge to the Trump regime's efforts to expand offshore drilling, which could have significant environmental and economic consequences.

Newsom sues Fox News for defamation over story about phone call with Trump

What happened: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for defamation over a story about a phone call with President Donald Trump, alleging that the news outlet manipulated a video to make it appear that the governor lied about the call.

⬆️ Why it matters: This lawsuit represents a significant escalation in Newsom's efforts to challenge misinformation and holds Fox News accountable for spreading false information, which is important for countering authoritarian consolidation by promoting media accountability and fact-based reporting.

Oregon Dems Vote to Prevent Trump from Deploying Oregon National Guard, as He Did in California

What happened: Oregon Democrats voted to pass a bill that would prevent the Trump regime from deploying Oregon's National Guard as law enforcement in response to protests.

⬆️ Why it matters: This move is significant because it represents a growing state-level resistance to authoritarian consolidation by attempting to limit Trump’s ability to use the National Guard for law enforcement purposes, and demonstrates a desire to preserve state sovereignty and protect citizens' rights.

'We've won every case so far': Gov. Shapiro will sue to stop cancelation of Pa. funding

What happened: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is suing the Trump regime alongside 19 other states and Washington, D.C., to stop them from arbitrarily canceling funding owed to Pennsylvania.

⬆️ Why it matters: This lawsuit represents another significant legal challenge to the Trump regime's attempt to consolidate power by weaponizing federal funds to various state programs.

Illinois Attorney General Raoul joins lawsuit challenging Trump's termination of federal grants

What happened: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joins a multistate lawsuit challenging the Trump regime's decision to withhold billions of dollars in federal funds approved for states and other grantees.

⬆️ Why it matters: This is important as it marks yet one more state joining the legal challenge to Trump’s use of federal funding as weapon against Democratic states.

Media & Tech

Jacob Soboroff Weighs In on Trump's Brutal Mass Deportations & the Reality of Being Detained by ICE

What happened: Jacob Soboroff appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers to discuss his experiences as a journalist covering various traumatic events, including mass deportations and wildfires. He emphasized that those affected by deportations are ordinary working people and that current deportations are essentially family separations under a different name.

Why it matters: The discussion illustrates how public outcry and protests can be effective in challenging oppressive policies, as seen with the previous halt of family separations. It underscores the importance of recognizing the humanity of those targeted by authoritarian actions and the power of collective action in advocating for change.

International Resistance

‘Send them to Mars’: Led By Donkeys Glastonbury exhibit takes aim at Musk

What happened: A Glastonbury festival exhibit by the political campaign group Led By Donkeys features a rocket that sends Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos to Mars while the artist party on Earth, criticizing their views on colonizing Mars.

⬆️ Why it matters: This exhibit is good news for resistance to authoritarianism as it mocks and criticizes the billionaires' ambitions of leaving Earth behind, highlighting the dangers of prioritizing technological progress over environmental conservation and social responsibility.

Europe will buy more American weapons and pave way for trade deal, EU Council chief says

What happened: The European Union has agreed to more than double its defense spending target to 5% of GDP by 2035, with some spending intended to be used to "buy American," which comes in response to Trump’s tariff threats.

⬇️ Why it matters: While a shift away from European reliance on imported American defense capabilities and towards greater domestic production is a positive development, EU capitulation to buy American weapons in response to Trump’s trade threats marks a disappointing moment of appeasement.

France offers academic refuge from Trump-era pressure

What happened: France's Aix-Marseille University has offered refuge to around 40 American researchers fleeing the Trump regime's cuts in certain academic sectors.

⬆️ Why it matters: This development is good news for resistance to authoritarianism, as it provides a safe haven for scholars whose work was untenable under the Trump regime's growing repression of universities and intellectuals.

Generative AI Use Disclosure: Included articles are curated manually by the editors of the Resistance Sentinel. Generative AI is used to assist in the summarization of news articles. All items are read and edited by human editors before posting.