What cases are left on the Supreme Court's emergency docket? Here's a look

WASHINGTON (AP) — The sequence of events is familiar: A lower court judge blocks a part of President Donald Trump’s agenda, an appellate panel refuses to put the order on hold while the case continues, and the Justice Department turns to the Supreme Court.

Trump administration lawyers have filed emergency appeals with the nation's highest court a little less than once a week on average since Trump began his second term, though the pace of new filings has slowed recently.

The court is not being asked to render a final decision but rather to set the rules of the road while the case makes its way through the courts.

The justices have issued orders in 14 cases so far. The Trump administration has won more than it has lost, including on Monday when the high court allowed the resumption of swift removals of migrants to countries other than their homelands.

Among the administration's other victories was an order allowing it to enforce the Republican president's ban on transgender military service members. Among its losses was a prohibition on using an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans alleged to be gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

Here are some of the appeals still before the high court.

A federal judge in Boston has ordered the employees reinstated and also blocked action on Trump's plan to dismantle the department, one of his top campaign pledges.

In his order last month, U.S. District Judge Myong Joun wrote that the layoffs “will likely cripple the department.” The federal appeals court in Boston rejected the administration's emergency request to put Joun's order on hold.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the Supreme Court that Joun overstepped his authority and was substituting his policy preferences for those of the Trump administration.

The layoffs help put in the place the “policy of streamlining the department and eliminating discretionary functions that, in the administration’s view, are better left to the states,” Sauer wrote.

Massachusetts school districts, education groups and Democratic-led states sued over Trump's plan.

The court could act at any time.

Sauer recently renewed the administration's request for the high court to clear the way for downsizing plans, while a lawsuit filed by labor unions and cities proceeds.

The high court filing came after an appeals court refused to freeze a California-based judge’s order halting the cuts, which have been led by the Department of Government Efficiency. The appeals court found that the downsizing could have broader effects, including on the nation’s food-safety system and health care for veterans.

In her ruling last month, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found that Trump’s administration needs congressional approval to make sizable reductions to the federal workforce.

The administration initially asked the justices to step in last month, but withdrew its appeal for technical, legal reasons.

The court could act at any time.

Several judges quickly blocked an executive order Trump signed on his first day in office that would deny citizenship to children who are born to people who are in the country illegally or temporarily.

The administration appealed three court orders that prohibit the changes from taking effect anywhere in the country.

Earlier in May, the justices took the rare step of hearing arguments in an emergency appeal. It's unclear how the case will come out, but the court seemed intent on keeping the changes on hold while looking for a way to scale back nationwide court orders.

One possibility advanced by some justices was to find a different legal mechanism, perhaps a class action, to accomplish essentially the same thing as the nationwide injunctions blocking Trump's citizenship order.

Nationwide injunctions have emerged as an important check on Trump’s efforts to remake the government and a source of mounting frustration to the Republican president and his allies.

Judges have issued 40 nationwide injunctions since Trump began his second term in January, Sauer told the court during the arguments.

The court could act anytime, but almost certainly no later than early summer.

Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

For the first time in 20 years, rain is expected to intrude on the Rose Parade in Southern California, a venerable New Year's Day event that attracts thousands of spectators and is watched by millions more on TV.

Storms caused Christmas week flooding, mudslides and other miseries across the region. Now comes a 100% chance of rain Thursday in Pasadena, the National Weather Service said.

“We try not to say that word around here,” joked Candy Carlson, a spokesperson for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the organization behind the 137th Rose Parade, which precedes the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff game.

Arctic air is meanwhile expected to blanket much of the eastern two-thirds of the country, the weather service said.

In New York City, forecasters predict temperatures in the low 30s Fahrenheit (around zero degrees Celsius), which is not unusual, when the ball drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Light rain is possible in Las Vegas, where several casinos will be shooting fireworks from rooftops.

During Nashville's Big Bash, a New Year's Eve event at a park, temperatures will be in the low 30s when an illuminated music note drops at midnight in the Tennessee city. New Orleans will be in the mid-40s Fahrenheit (around 7 degrees Celsius) for a free concert and fireworks along the Mississippi River.

At the Rose Parade, it has rained only 10 times in the parade's history — and not since 2006, Carlson said.

Rare wet weather is unlikely to keep floats, marching bands, entertainers and others from participating. Carlson said people riding on floats will have rain gear if necessary, and tow trucks will be standing by in case of mechanical problems.

Spectators will need to prepare, too. Umbrellas are not allowed in parade seating areas that require tickets, though the ban doesn't cover people who simply line up along the nearly 6-mile (10-kilometer) route. Curbside camping — no tents — begins at noon Wednesday. Rain also is predicted that day.

“Last year's parade theme was ‘Best Day Ever!’ and six days later it was the worst," said Lisa Derderian, spokesperson for the city of Pasadena, referring to the devastating Eaton wildfire in Los Angeles County. “We want to start the new year on a high note. Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates with the weather.”

Confetti is released during a confetti test ahead of New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - Marching bands perform along Colorado Blvd. in the 136th Rose Parade, in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)