By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s order on birthright citizenship declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.

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The justices will hear Trump’s appeal of a lower court ruling that struck down the citizenship restrictions. They have not taken effect anywhere in the country.

The case will be argued in the spring. A definitive ruling is expected by early summer.

The birthright citizenship order, which Trump signed Jan. 20, the first day of his second term, is part of his administration’s broad immigration crackdown. Other actions include immigration enforcement surges in several cities and the first peacetime invocation of the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act.

The Republican administration is facing multiple court challenges, and the high court has sent mixed signals in emergency orders it has issued. The justices effectively stopped the use of the Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members without court hearings. But the Supreme Court allowed the resumption of sweeping immigration stops in the Los Angeles area after a lower court blocked the practice of stopping people solely based on their race, language, job or location.

The justices also are weighing the administration’s emergency appeal to be allowed to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area for immigration enforcement actions. A lower court has indefinitely prevented the deployment.

Birthright citizenship is the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling. His order would upend more than 125 years of understanding that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment confers citizenship on everyone born on American soil, with narrow exceptions for the children of foreign diplomats and those born to a foreign occupying force.

In a series of decisions, lower courts have struck down the executive order as unconstitutional, or likely so, even after a Supreme Court ruling in late June that limited judges’ use of nationwide injunctions.

The Supreme Court, however, did not rule out other court orders that could have nationwide effects, including in class-action lawsuits and those brought by states. The justices did not decide at that time whether the underlying citizenship order was constitutional.

Every lower court that has looked at the issue has concluded that Trump’s order violates or likely violates the 14th Amendment, which was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship. Birthright citizenship automatically makes anyone born in the United States an American citizen, including children born to mothers who are in the country illegally, under long-standing rules.

The case under review comes from New Hampshire. A federal judge in July blocked the citizenship order in a class-action lawsuit including all children who would be affected.

The administration had also asked the justices to review a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. That court, also in July, ruled that a group of Democratic-led states that sued over Trump’s order needed a nationwide injunction to prevent the problems that would be caused by birthright citizenship being in effect in some states and not others. The justices took no action in the 9th circuit case.

The administration has asserted that children of noncitizens are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and therefore not entitled to citizenship.

“The Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause was adopted to grant citizenship to newly freed slaves and their children—not…to the children of aliens illegally or temporarily in the United States,” top administration top Supreme Court lawyer, D. John Sauer, wrote in urging the high court’s review.

Twenty-four Republican-led states and 27 Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, are backing the administration

By ISABELLA VOLMERT, Associated Press

Indiana state House Republicans passed a new state congressional map Friday at the behest of President Donald Trump, advancing the legislation to the state Senate, where it is unclear if enough lawmakers will support its final passage.

Republican lawmakers voted 57-41 in favor of the map, which splits the city of Indianapolis into four districts to help the GOP potentially win all nine Indiana congressional seats. While Trump and many other Republicans are celebrating the passage, the map faces its true test in the state Senate, where many GOP lawmakers have opposed mid-decade redistricting.

Democrats in the House minority decried the new map, with many criticizing the swift timeline of the past week. The map was introduced on Monday. In 2021, when the current congressional district map was passed, state lawmakers held multiple public hearings around the state over several months.

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Democratic state Rep. Greg Porter, who represents Indianapolis, railed against the proposal on the House floor, saying it would dilute the power of Black Hoosiers. U.S. Rep. André Carson, who has represented Indianapolis for the past 17 years and stands to lose his seat, is the state’s only Black member of Congress.

“What we’re doing today with this proposed legislation is taking away the rights of Black and brown people in Indiana,” Porter said. “It cracks Marion County!”

The Republican author of the redistricting legislation, state Rep. Ben Smaltz, said on the floor Wednesday that the map and bill language were provided by the National Republican Redistricting Trust, the GOP’s primary redistricting entity that was also involved in drawing Texas’ new map this year. Smaltz said the Trust gave Indiana Republicans one option for the statewide map.

Republicans currently hold seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats. Indiana lawmakers have been under increasing pressure from the White House to follow the lead of Republicans in Texas, Missouri, Ohio and North Carolina, which have all passed new maps in recent months ahead of next year’s midterms. To offset the GOP gains, Democrats in California and Virginia have moved to do the same.

Smaltz said Friday the tit-for-tat mid-decade redistricting between Democratic and Republican states may continue for the next several cycles and “may be the new normal.”

The Indiana House vote ups the pressure on Senate Republicans to approve the new map for final passage.

While redistricting is typically done at the beginning of a new decade with the census, Trump has pushed Republican-led states to redistrict this year to give the GOP an easier path to maintaining its majority in the U.S. House. Democrats only need to flip a handful of seats next November to overcome the GOP’s current margin, and midterm elections typically favor the party opposite the one in power.

Previously, the top Republican of the state Senate, Rodric Bray, said there were not enough votes to support redistricting. In the 50-member Senate, Republicans need at least 25 votes to pass the legislation. A 26th tiebreaking vote could come from Republican Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith.

The next hurdle for the new map will come in a Senate committee, where it could face a smaller number of opposed senators.

The issue has sharply divided Republicans in the Hoosier state. Senators on both sides of the issue have been subject to threats and swatting attempts in recent weeks.

Trump has said he will back primary opponents against any GOP senator who opposes redistricting. But half the chamber, including Bray, is not up for reelection until 2028.

The map approved by House Republicans splits the Democratic city of Indianapolis — which currently makes up the entirety of the 7th Congressional District — into four quadrants divided among four rural districts. The new map also groups the cities of East Chicago and Gary with several Republican counties in northern Indiana, potentially ousting Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, who represents the current district in the state’s northwest corner near Chicago.

In the ballooning redistricting battle, the U.S. Supreme Court handed a win to Texas Republicans Thursday by allowing the state to conduct next year’s elections under the new congressional map that favors the GOP and could give the party five more seats.

The western Wisconsin county where Xcel Energy has planned a solar farm has decided to hire a law firm to help iron details concerning the new project.

While finalizing its 2026 budget, the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors voted to add up to $352,000 in legal services with Attolles Law concerning development of the joint development agreement.

The Ten Mile Creek Solar project calls for 300 megawatts to be generated on solar panels spread across 2,980 acres of leased land in St. Croix County. The project also includes building and routing a new transmission line to the existing grid connections at Xcel’s Allen S. King Power Plant in Oak Park Heights.

The coal-fired King plant is set to be decommissioned in 2028, but Xcel plans to continue to use existing connections at the site. Originally, Xcel’s Ten Mile Creek Solar proposal included up to 650 megawatts of solar panel production on 5,000 acres spread across some 60 square miles in St. Croix County.

St. Croix County Board of Supervisors chair Bob Long told the Pioneer Press that the county wants to wrap up some finer details within the joint development agreement, particularly concerning safety concerns regarding fire risks and environmental agreements concerning long term planning, such as eventual decommission of the site.

“We’re working with by far the best expert on this whole process that we can find,” said Long of Attolles Law, which often represents the Wisconsin Counties Association and many other public entities in the state.

Long described the discussions with Xcel Energy representatives thus far as “fruitful.”

No additional meetings are currently scheduled, but Xcel representatives said the discussions will be ongoing and have been positive.

“As we have for several months, we are continuing to discuss the contents of a Joint Development Agreement with St. Croix County and have met with the county’s internal and external attorneys,” Xcel Energy spokesperson Christine Ouellette said.

In November, Attolles Law reviewed the draft agreement and attorney Rebecca Roeker on Nov. 4 went through that input with the board, releasing a list with nine of their most essential concerns, as well as nine other concerns.

Roeker and St. Croix County Public Information Officer Adam Kastonek declined several attempts for additional comment.

Of most concern, Roeker said the draft agreement could limit St. Croix County’s ability to object at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, the body that will be responsible for approval of the solar farm. Depending on legal reading of the language, the joint development agreement could bar county representatives from making statements “adverse to an agreed upon term,” unless new information related to that issue was found.

Roeker said this draft also covered approximately 3,000 acres, which represents Xcel Energy’s updated project scope. However, Xcel has secured land leases for the full 5,000 acres, and company officials previously said they will maintain those leases as needed.

The county could have an agreement for each project phase, or one umbrella agreement for the entire solar farm, Roeker said, but it should include language defining those specifications.

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“We want to make sure the JDA covers the entire ‘capital P’ project,” said Roeker.

Another issue the attorney noted was the definition of “designated roads” in the solar farm development, which, based on the draft agreement, could mean any town or county road. If St. Croix County wished to limit the roads to those designated for the project; the language should be cleaned up, Roeker said.

Roeker told the supervisors at the Nov. 4 meeting that the concerns were reasonable, and in line with other joint contract agreements her firm had negotiated previously.

Xcel Energy expects to submit its project application to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin near the beginning of next year. From there, the commission would kick off a 12-18 month review process. If eventually approved, the first phase of the Ten Mile Creek Solar Project could begin in late 2027, with a goal of starting service by late 2029.

Even in the final on-ice campaign of his hall of fame career, which included multiple Stanley Cups and farewell tributes in arenas all across the NHL, Marc-Andre Fleury was doing the stuff that made him legendary.

Last season with the Minnesota Wild, “Flower” was still a mainstay on the top 10 sports highlight shows for his propensity to flash his glove, dive across the crease or stack his pads to keep the puck out of his net.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) makes a save during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

In sharp contrast, the current Wild goalie tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt that is working together to fill the crease Fleury left empty when he retired is less flashy. Decidedly so. They could even be called boring.

Unless you happen to think winning is exciting. Wallstedt led the NHL on Friday morning in goals-against average (1.74), shutouts (four) and save percentage (.944).

“Both of them are playing really well for us, and that’s what good teams do,” Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian said. “Goaltending is a hard thing to come by in this league, and when you find not only one, but two that are playing well, that can be a game-changer.”

The Wild’s turnaround after winning just three games in October has been fueled in large part by the play of Gustavsson and Wallstedt who have been sharing the net on an every-other-game basis for the past month.

Heading into Saturday’s late game at Vancouver, the Wild were third in the Western Conference standings.

Shared language, shared style

New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur retired with a list of accomplishments similar to Fleury’s, and the pair are first and second, respectively, for most entries in the NHL goaltending record books. But putting together a highlight reel video of Brodeur’s most spectacular saves is a challenge, as his positionally sound play made most of his nearly 29,000 career stops look routine.

Brodeur has at least two disciples in Minnesota.

Wallstedt, 23, learned the game in his Swedish hometown of Vasteras, about an hour west of Stockholm. He was the Wild’s first-round draft pick in 2021 after they now famously traded up two spots with Edmonton to find the guy who looks like their goalie of the future. Still a rookie, Wallstedt puts his 6-foot-3 frame to good use, believing that simple game is the ideal in the crease.

“I think it’s way nicer when you just get hit,” he said during what has been an 8-0-2 run to start his first full NHL season. “You know where the puck is at, it’s easy to track, you cover the rebound and you get a whistle on it. I think those are the best ones.”

Gustavsson, 27, is from a few hours north of Stockholm, raised in a mining town called Skelleftea. His NHL career began in Ottawa before a 2022 trade brought him to St. Paul, as an understudy to Fleury. Holding one of the most pressure-filled jobs in all of sports, the 6-foot-2 veteran feels that seeing your work highlighted on SportsCenter is far down the priority list.

“It’s more fun to make the cool saves, but it’s more stressful because you feel like you’re not in control, really,” Gustavsson said. “For me, it doesn’t play like that. It’s very stressful to watch.”

After a 2-6-1 start, in which he was the Wild’s every night goalie for much of their October struggles, Gustavsson is on a 5-2-2 stretch heading into his presumed start Monday night in Seattle. And while Wallstedt has quickly become a fan favorite by boldly inserting himself into the conversation for the Calder Trophy, Gustavsson is no step down, per his teammates.

“I hope everyone remembers Gus because he is who he is for a reason,” Wild defenseman Brock Faber said. “They’re both such a huge part of this team, and the way they’ve been playing has really turned this team around.”

Evolving position

Fifty years ago, when kids gathered at a neighborhood rink for a pickup hockey game, the ones who couldn’t skate were usually stuck between the pipes. Modern goalies are often some of the best athletes on the ice, doing everything the forwards and defensemen do, but doing it with the added encumbrance of goalie pads.

Both Wild goalies have even scored a pro goal — Gustavsson for Minnesota in St. Louis early last season, and Wallstedt for the Iowa Wild in a win over the Chicago Wolves in November 2022.

More than anything, bad goaltending can sink a team’s confidence. Goaltending of the variety that the Wild’s duo is providing lately leads to a more relaxed game from everyone on the ice, and allows more free-flowing hockey because the skaters have some assurance that every mistake won’t automatically end up in their net.

“It just bleeds confidence throughout the lineup,” Faber said. “Especially as a D-man, when you turn pucks over and they go in the back of your net, it’s the worst feeling in the world. When you turn pucks over and they stop it for you, it’s so much easier to reset and be positive after that. Go give them a tap and move on.

“You can’t expect that to happen every time, but when that has happened in this stretch, the majority of the time those pucks have stayed out of our net. That’s a huge credit to them.”

Proudly boring

Teammates say that Wallstedt is more talkative on the ice, quick to let teammates know if they’re being pursued when chasing a puck, or if there is an open man up ice. Gustavsson is more vocal in the locker room, and has more future security after signing a five-year contract extension that will pay him annually. Wallstedt is in the initial year of a two-year contract paying him $2.2 million a year.

A post-win celebration that includes a thrust of his goalie stick in the air like a sword has made Wallstedt beloved to Wild fans in a hurry. But while the game is going on, Wallstedt is more similar to his tandem partner.

“I think if I could be boring to watch, that’s a good idea, a good sign,” Wallstedt said after a recent practice at TRIA Rink. “I’m going to try to play high-percentage hockey, make sure I have as much of the net covered (as I can) and try to make it look as simple as possible. If I can skip doing splits and sliding and everything, I think it’s good and it will keep my body healthier in the long term as well. So, I like the way I play.”

A few seasons ago, the Wild promoted Gustavsson with an ad campaign built around his nickname, “The Gus Bus.” Now one of the top-selling T-shirts in Minnesota shows Wallstedt in his victory celebration and sporting his nickname, “The Wall of St. Paul.”

Not bad for a pair of goalies who aim to be boring.

“They’re not acrobatic goalies, making those saves,” Wild captain Jared Spurgeon said of the pair. “They’re so positionally sound, and they’re playing great for us lately and giving us a chance to win every night.”

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