President Donald Trump's sweeping assertions of executive power during his first weeks back in office appear headed toward U.S. Supreme Court showdowns, but it remains an open question whether or how much the justices might act to check his authority.

President Donald Trump’s administration is switching positions in a major Supreme Court case on transgender rights, backing away from the Biden administration’s opposition to Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

The Trump administration told the US Supreme Court that states can constitutionally ban gender-affirming treatments for minors, flipping the federal government’s position in a high-profile case.

President Donald Trump's administration told the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday that Tennessee's Republican-backed ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors is not unlawful, reversing the position taken by the government under his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.

An administration lawyer said a Tennessee law barring some medical treatments for transgender youths is constitutional and urged the justices to say so.

While it was once rare for an administration to change its position in cases before the high court, Trump did so in his first term and has signaled he will do it again.

The Justice Department's new position was expected because President Trump had made opposition to transgender rights a central campaign theme.